UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


SI  ENOGRAPI  ER'S 


MANUAL 


EDWARD  JONES  KILDUFF,  M.A. 

Professor  of  Business  English,  New  York  University 
Author  of  THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

Co-author  of  the 
HANDBOOK  OF  BUSINESS  ENGLISH 


47085 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON 
1921 


•  « t>  ...•:•• 


••;:;  *  •:  ".'•    '       '•-.•.:••••. 


THE  STENOGBAFHER'S  MANUAL 


Copyright,  1921,  by  Harper  &  Brother* 
Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 

A-V 


56 

55s 

CONTENTS 


PA  OB 

INTRODUCTION  BY  GEORGE  E.  ROBERTS vii 

PREFACE ix 

I.    THE  QUALITIES  OF  A  GOOD  STENOG- 
RAPHER 

Your  Chances  of  Success 1 

What  a  Stenographer  Should  Be  Able  to 

Do 2 

Qualities  That  Make  a  Stenographer  a  Good 

Stenographer 5 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Accurate 5 

Necessity  for  Self -analysis 6 

Are  You  Accurate? 7 

The  Good  Stenographer  Has  an  Agreeable 

Personality 9 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Trustworthy.  .  12 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Diligent 13 

A  Good  Stenographer  Has  Judgment.  ...  15 

Good  Deportment  in  the  Office 16 

H.    YOUR  CONDUCT  IN  THE  OFFICE 

Office  Rules  Should  Be  Observed 17 

Be  Punctual 19 

Attendance 20 

Using  the  Telephone  for  Personal  Calls...  21 

"Visiting"  in  the  Office 21 

The  Proper  Attitude  Toward  Your  Work.  22 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Conduct  Toward  Other  Workers 23 

Your  Personal  Appearance 23 

III.  WHEN  YOU  TAKE  DICTATION 

The  Importance  of  Taking  Dictation  Right  25 

Be  Prepared 25 

Your  Manner  When  Taking  Dictation ^7 

Points  on  Taking  Dictation 28 

Carefully  Note  Instructions 30 

IV.  TRANSCRIBING  AND  TYPING 

You  Are  Judged  by  Your  Completed  Work  :;,' 

Accuracy  in  Transcription 33 

Why  You  Should  Be  Up  on  Your  Grammar  :>  I 

Editing  Dictated  Material 35 

Paragraphing  the  Letter 36 

Punctuation  and  Capitalization 30 

Always  Read  Over  Your  Work 30 

The  Appearance  of  Your  Work 37 

Making  Erasures  and  Changes 37 

Keep  Your  Machine  in  Good  Condition..  39 

Don't  Dispute  with  the  Dictator 40 

Taking  Care  of  Your  Notebooks 40 

Office  Supplies 40 

V.    THE  MECHANICAL  MAKE-UP  OF  THE 
LETTER 

Know  and  Use  Good  Mechanical  Make-up  42 

Placing  the  Letter  on  the  Page 43 

The  Parts  of  the  Mec-hanical  Make-up  of  a 

Letter 46 

The  Heading 46 

The  Inside  Address. .  48 


CONTENTS 

[APTEB  PAGE 

The  Salutation 57 

The  Body  of  the  Letter 58 

The  Complimentary  Close 60 

The  Signature 60 

Miscellaneous  Points 62 

The  Envelope 63 

Official  Letters 64 

Formal  Official  Letters 66 

Informal  Official  Letters 66 

The  Mechanical  Display  of  Reports 66 

VI.    ABOUT  YOUR  SPELLING 

The  Importance  of  Correct  Spelling 71 

Technical  and  Trade  Words 73 

Words  Spelled  Correctly  in  Two  or  More 

Ways 73 

Foreign    Words    and    Phrases    Commonly 

Used  in  English 78 

Plurals  of  Foreign  Words 81 

.Words  That  Have  the  Same  or  Nearly  the 

•  Same  Sound 82 

Words  Commonly  Misspelled 89 

Words  Ending  in  "-able"  or  "-ible" 92 

Spelling  of  Possessives 94 

Forming   the   Plural   of   Figures,   Letters, 

Signs,  Etc 95 

When  and  When  Not  to  Spell  Out  Num- 
bers, Amounts,  and  Sums 96 

Dividing  Words  at  the  Ends  of  the  Lines.  100 

Compound  or  Hyphenated  Words 103 

Use  of  Abbreviations 107 

After  You  Have  Finished  the  Work..       ,  113 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

VII.     COMMON  MISUSES  OF  WORDS 114 

VIII.    HOW  TO  PUNCTUATE  AND  CAPITAL- 
IZE 

The  Ability  to  Punctuate  Correctly 133 

What  Punctuation  Is 134 

Uses  of  the  Comma 1 : '.  t 

Uses  of  the  Semicolon 141 

Uses  of  the  Colon 142 

Uses  of  the  Period 1 14 

Uses  of  the  Exclamation  Point H.~> 

Uses  of  the  Dash 146 

Uses  of  Parentheses 147 

Uses  of  Brackets 148 

Uses  of  Quotation  Marks 148 

Punctuation   of   Quoted   or   Parenthetical 

Material 150 

Uses  of  the  Apostrophe 151 

Uses  of  the  Question  Mark 153 

Uses  of  the  Hyphen 153 

Other  Punctuation 155 

Good  Style  in  Punctuation 155 

Capitalization 156 

IX.    MISCELLANEOUS  INFORMATION 

Points  About  Telephoning 160 

Telegrams 163 

Use  of  Proof  Marks  to  Indicate  Corrections 

or  Changes 163 

Keep  Your  Desk  in  Good  Order 166 

Study  Your  Employer's   Business 166 


INTRODUCTION 

BY 

GEORGE  E.  ROBERTS 

Vice-President  of  the  National  City  Bank  of  New  York  City 

TEAMWORK  is  one  of  the  big  needs  of  business.  If  con- 
sistently efficient  results  are  to  be  secured,  each  depart- 
ment of  a  business  organization  must  work  in  harmony  with 
every  other  department,  and  each  worker  with  his  co- 
worker.  The  best  efforts  of  one  department  or  of  one 
Worker  can  easily  be  nullified  by  the  inefficiency  of  another. 

Having  thus  stated  a  generally  recognized  principle  of 
good  business,  I  wish  to  apply  it  specifically  to  the  relation- 
ship between  the  dictator  and  his  stenographer.  I  may 
perform  my  share  of  the  task  involved  in  the  Writing  of 
a  letter  by  carefully  dictating  what  I  wish  to  say,  but  if 
my  stenographer  is  not  wholly  accurate  and  dependable 
in  transcribing  her  notes — her  share  of  this  mutual  work 
— the  effectiveness  of  my  letter  suffers.  Through  care- 
lessness she  has  made  me  appear  to  say  things  I  did  not 
say,  she  has  inclined  my  reader  to  the  belief  that  I  am  un- 
grammatical,  and  by  her  inaccuracies  in  typing  she  has 
caused  my  letter  to  make  an  unfavorable  impression.  Is 
this  teamwork? 

Letter  writing  is  an  important  function  in  business,  and 
is  becoming  of  greater  importance  because  of  the  fact  that 
the  transactions  carried  on  by  means  of  letters  are  rapidly 
increasing  in  number.  The  personal  contact  between  a 
business  house  and  its  customers  that  existed  in  former 
years  is  being  supplanted  by  a  contact  by  letters.  And  all 
this  means  that  we  must  to-day  make  our  letters  more 
efficient.  To  do  so  we  must  enlist  the  co-operation  of  our 


INTRODUCTION 

stenographers  to  perform  efficiently  their  share  of  the  work 
of  getting  out  good  letters — letters  that  are  accurate  in 
transcription,  correct  in  spelling,  grammar,  and  punctua- 
tion, and  pleasing  in  appearance. 

For  many  years  I  have  realized  that  the  work  of  the 
stenographer  is  not  so  unimportant  as  it  is  sometimes 
thought  to  be.  Any  business  man  can  tell  you  of  the 
satisfaction  he  enjoys  in  dictating  to  a  good  stenographer, 
knowing,  as  he  does,  that  he  can  sign  his  name  to  his 
letters  without  being  compelled  to  read  them  word  by 
word  to  make  sure  that  they  are  correct  in  all  respects. 
This  same  business  man  can  tell  you  that  he  is  saved  much 
time  and  worry  because  he  knows  he  can  depend  upon  his 
stenographer.  And  if  the  saving  of  time  and  worry  is  not 
important  to  a  business  man,  then  nothing  else  is. 

In  glancing  over  the  proof-sheets  of  this  book  which  Pro- 
fessor Kilduff  has  written,  I  was  glad  to  note  that  he  1m 
placed  so  much  emphasis  upon  accuracy.  It  seems  to  me 
that  this  is  a  quality  that  is  indispensable  in  a  stenographer, 
for  certainly  if  a  stenographer  is  inaccurate  in  her  work, 
she  cannot  be  of  much  assistance  to  her  employer.  Upon 
him  falls  the  burden  of  correcting  her  work — work  that 
should  be  correct.  And  then  the  letter  usually  must  be  re- 
typed. All  this  added  effort  can  be  saved  if  the  stenogra- 
pher will  take  pains  to  see  that  her  work  is  done  right  the 
first  time. 

Professor  KildufTs  book  will  be  of  much  help  to  the  am- 
bitious stenographer  who  will  read  and  put  into  practice 
the  ideas  that  are  presented  in  it.  I  believe  it  will  go  far 
in  making  stenographers  realize  how  much  their  co-opera- 
tion is  needed  in  business,  and  in  teaching  them  how  to 
do  their  share  of  the  work  in  helping  the  dictator  to  put 
out  better  letters. 


PREFACE 


To  Stenographers,  Typists,  and  Dictating -machine 
Operators: 

THIS  book  was  written  to  help  you  in  your  work,  to  aid 
you  to  do  better  work,  and  to  assist  you  in  making  your- 
self a  success  in  your  chosen  vocation.  Read  it  carefully, 
study  it,  and  put  into  practice  the  information  it  gives 
you.  Keep  it  handy  in  your  desk  and  refer  to  it  as  you 
would  to  a  dictionary.  And  every  now  and  then  read  it 
again,  so  that  you  will  always  have  fresh  in  your  mind 
a  knowledge  of  those  points  in  which  the  business  man 
expects  a  good  stenographer  to  be  proficient. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

I  WISH  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  for  information 
concerning  the  attitude  of  business  concerns  toward  the 
work  of  the  stenographer  to  various  officers,  office  man- 
agers, and  chief  stenographers  of  the  following  business 
houses:  National  City  Bank  of  New  York,  United  States 
Steel  Products  Company,  S.  S.  Kresge  Company,  General 
Cigar  Co.,  Inc.,  United  States  Rubber  Co.,  Vacuum  Oil 
Company,  American  Chicle  Co.,  The  American  Sugar 
Refining  Company,  John  Wanamaker,  Brunswick-Balke- 
Collender  Co.,  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Co.,  The  New 


PREFACE 

Jersey  Zinc  Company,  Ideal  Cocoa  &  Chocolate  Com- 
pany, Proctor  and  Gamble  Distributing  Co.,  and  the 
Chase  National  Bank. 

Much  of  the  material  on  the  mechanical  make-up  of 
letters,  punctuation,  and  capitalization  is  taken  from  the 
Handbook  of  Business  English,  by  Hotchkiss  and  Kilduff. 

E.  J.  K. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  August  15,  1920. ' 


THE    STENOGRAPHER'S 
MANUAL 


Chapter   I 
The  Qualities  of  a  Good  Stenographer 

Your  Chances  of  Success 

WHETHER  you  look  upon  stenography  and  typewriting 
as  a  trade  or  vocation  from  which  you  are  to  secure  your 
living  or  whether  you  consider  this  work  as  a  stepping 
stone  to  advancement  in  business,  you  should  give  some 
consideration  to  your  chances  of  success  in  this  field. 

Do  you  wish  to  make  more  money?  Then  remember 
that  a  business  house  will  pay  you  according  to  your  value 
to  the  house  and  is  only  too  glad  to  pay  more  money  if 
you  increase  your  value — if  you  do  better  work. 

Do  you  wish  to  advance  in  business — to  secure  a  more 
responsible  position?  If  so,  remember  that  you  must 
show  by  your  efficiency  in  your  present  position  that  you 
have  mastered  it  and  that  you  are,  therefore,  probably 
capable  of  mastering  the  next  higher  position. 

Many  workers  in  business  seem  unable  to  realize  the 
fact  that  they  cannot  expect  higher  pay  or  promotion 
until  they  do  better  work.  They  often  say  to  themselves, 
"I  should  do  better  work  if  they  would  pay  me  more 

1 


money."  But  that  is  reversing  the  natural  process.  The 
rule  in  business  is,  "  Prove  by  doing  better  work  that  you 
are  worth  more  and  you  will  get  it."  But  the  proof  must 
come  first.  You  must  first  show  your  ability. 

Some  of  these  same  people  say  that  ability  is  not 
recognized  and  appreciated  in  business.  Such  a  state- 
ment is  absolutely  unsound,  for  in  business,  above  all  other 
places,  ability  is  keenly  sought  and  well  paid  for.  No 
concern  could  long  remain  in  business,  facing  the  fierce 
competition  of  to-day,  were  it  not  for  the  ability  of  its 
workers.  It  is  nearly  as  difficult  to  hide  ability  in  business 
as  it  is  to  hide  a  light  on  a  dark  night.  Ability  is  too  rare 
and  too  valuable  a  thing  not  to  be  recognized  and  ap- 
preciated. But  do  not  think  that  the  employer  is  un- 
selfish in  this  matter — he  is  not.  He  knows  how  valuable 
to  him  and  to  his  business  are  the  services  of  an  efficient 
and  able  worker.  So  bear  in  mind,  then,  this  fact: 
If  you  will  train  yourself  to  do  your  work  well,  you  need 
not  worry  about  not  being  rewarded. 

Your  success  as  a  stenographer  is  assured  if  you  will 
resolve  here  and  now  to  become  a  good  stenographer. 
The  efficient,  well-trained  stenographer  has  an  exceedingly 
easy  time  in  securing  a  good  position  at  any  time,  for  the 
demand  for  really  good  stenographers  is  far  greater  than 
the  supply.  There  are  plenty  of  mediocre  and  ordinary 
stenographers,  but  very  few  good  ones.  The  first  step 
toward  your  success  can  be  taken  by  you  now:  Resolve 
to  be  a  good  stenographer. 

What  a  Stenographer  Should  Be  Able  to  Do 

Disregarding  for  the  time  being  her  other  duties,  the 
work  of  the  stenographer  can  be  divided  into  two  parts: 
stenography  and  typewriting.  Proficiency  in  each  of  these 

2 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

two  fields  constitutes  the  chief  stock  in  trade  of  the 
stenographer;  or,  in  other  words,  the  stenographer  is  hired 
because  she  can  take  dictation  and  transcribe  it  on  the 
typewriter. 

Proficiency  in  stenography  means  the  ability  to  take 
dictation  as  rapidly  as  the  dictator  gives  it — and  to  take 
it  accurately.  You  will  note  that  the  proficiency  in 
stenography  is  made  up  of  two  things — speed  and  ac- 
curacy. You  will  also  note  that  speed  does  not  necessarily 
mean  the  ability  to  take  80  or  120  or  150  words  a  minute. 
If  you  can  take  dictation  as  fast  as  your  dictator  gives  it, 
you  are  proficient — at  least  so  far  as  he  is  concerned.  If 
you  hold  back  your  dictator  you  must  practice  to  develop 
more  speed. 

Accuracy  in  taking  down  dictation  means  that  you  make 
no  mistakes  that  can  be  justly  charged  against  you.  In 
fact,  accuracy  is  more  important  than  speed,  for  if  there  is 
anything  a  dictator  dislikes  it  is  the  reading  of  his  letter 
in  which  what  he  has  dictated  is  incorrectly  reported.  He 
does  not  mind  very  much  being  asked  to  dictate  a  little 
more  slowly  (often  it  flatters  him),  provided  the  stenog- 
rapher is  accurate.  Above  all  things  train  yourself  to  be 
accurate  in  setting  down  what  the  dictator  has  said.  No 
other  quality  is  more  appreciated  in  a  stenographer  than 
accuracy.  Do  not  sacrifice  accuracy  to  speed. 

The  same  fact  is  true  with  respect  to  transcription  or 
typewriting:  accuracy  is  more  important  than  speed. 
What  is  the  good  of  typing  the  letter  fast  if,  on  account 
of  errors  in  it,  it  either  has  to  be  retyped  or  is  sent  out 
with  a  number  of  corrections  written  in?  Do  it  right  the 
first  time  even  though  you  don't  do  it  so  fast. 

Good  transcribing  means  much  more  than  the  accurate 
typing  of  the  stenographic  notes.  It  includes  such  mat- 
ters as  these :  a  knowledge  of  the  mechanical  operation  of 

3 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

the  typewriter,  as,  for  instance,  how  to  prevent  the  pnprr 
from  slipping,  so  that  good  work  may  result ;  a  knowledge 
of  the  correct  mechanical  make-up  of  the  letter  and  other 
business  forms;  the  ability  to  place  the  typing  on  the 
page  so  that  it  will  look  good;  neatness  in  the  appearance 
of  the  finished  work;  correct  spelling,  capitalization, 
punctuation,  and  the  proper  breaking  of  words  at  the  ends 
of  the  lines,  and  a  good  working  knowledge  of  grammar  and 
rhetoric. 

The  stenographer  must  know  all  these  things  about  her 
work  and  many  more.  The  knowledge  of  and  the  ability 
to  use  the  knowledge  of  these  matters  constitute  her 
stock  in  trade;  and  the  greater  her  knowledge  and  the 
better  her  ability,  the  greater  and  better  stock  has  she  to 
sell  and  the  more  will  be  the  pay  for  this  stock.  Cer- 
tainly, if  she  expects  to  succeed  in  her  field  of  work  and 
get  better  pay  and  promotion,  she  must  master  the  use 
of  the  tools  of  her  trade.  Yet  how  many  girls  are  there 
in  business  who  can  do  these  things  well — these  things 
which  every  stenographer  who  calls  herself  a  stenographer 
should  be  able  to  do  with  100  per  cent  efficiency?  Ex- 
ceedingly few,  if  we  are  to  believe  what  most  business 
men  tell  us. 

Stenography  and  typewriting  are  not  difficult  subjects 
to  learn.  Any  bright  girl  can  make  herself  fairly  proficient 
in  them  within  six  months'  time— and  quite  expert,  if  she 
sufficiently  applies  herself,  within  a  year.  Such  a  matter 
as  spelling,  for  example,  is  not  hard  to  learn,  and  even  if 
you  aren't  quite  sure  of  the  correct  spelling,  you  can  look 
it  up  in  a  minute  in  your  dictionary.  Yet  incorrect  spell- 
ing is  one  of  the  most  common  errors. 

The  rules  of  punctuation  and  capitalization  are  few  and 
simple,  and  no  stenographer  who  has  spent  a  little  time 
in  studying  them  should  ever  have  much  difficulty  with 

4 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

them.     But  mistakes  in  these  two  matters  are  continually 
cropping  up  in  letters. 

All  these  subjects,  to  repeat,  are  not  difficult  to  master. 
Carelessness,  more  than  ignorance,  is  responsible  for  most 
of  the  errors  in  them.  But  carelessness  is  as  bad  a  fault 
as  ignorance.  You  can  make  yourself  a  stenographer 
among  stenographers  merely  by  mastering  these  subjects 
that  you  have  seen  are  so  easy  to  learn,  and  by  being 
careful,  because  the  great  majority  of  stenographers  either 
haven't  mastered  them  or  haven't  learned  to  be  careful. 

Qualities  That  Make  a  Stenographer  a  Good 
Stenographer 

A  stenographer  may  be  efficient  in  stenography  and 
typewriting,  but  yet  she  may  not  be  a  good  stenographer. 
It  may  be  that  her  personality  is  such  that  she  cannot  get 
along  with  her  fellow  workers;  or  she  may  be  found  to  be 
untrustworthy — she  may  have  disclosed  business  secrets 
to  outsiders.  You  can  see,  therefore,  that  the  good  ste- 
nographer must  possess,  in  addition  to  her  ability  to  take 
dictation  and  to  transcribe  well,  certain  personal  qualities. 
These  qualities  are  as  follows: 

1.  Accuracy. 

2.  Agreeable  personality. 

3.  Trustworthiness. 

4.  Diligence. 

5.  Judgment. 

6.  Good  deportment. 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Accurate 

Although   all   the   six  qualities   mentioned   above  are 
essential,  the  one  which  the  employer  values  most  in  a 
2  5 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

stenographer  is,  probably,  the  quality  of  accuracy.  A 
stenographer  is  accurate  if  her  work  is  free  from  mistakes, 
if  she  takes  pains  to  make  sure  that  what  she  doors  or  has 
done  is  correct.  The  accurate  stenographer  holds  herself 
responsible  for  the  correctness  of  her  work. 

Just  think  how  pleased  an  employer  is  to  have  a  ste- 
nographer whose  work  is  accurate!  No  longer  is  he  com- 
pelled to  read  carefully  every  letter  he  has  dictated,  mak- 
ing a  correction  in  spelling  here  and  in  punctuation  there. 
No  longer  does  he  find  the  ideas  he  so  carefully  thought 
out  and  dictated  appearing  before  him  in  the  typed  lrtl»T 
unrecognizable.  He  can  now  sign  his  letters  with  a  free 
mind.  He  knows,  too,  that  the  right  inclosures  will  go 
with  the  letter;  that  any  changes  or  additions  he  may 
have  made  will  be  correctly  copied  on  the  carbon  copu-s 
of  the  letter;  and  that  any  special  directions  he  may  have 
given  concerning  the  letter  will  be  accurately  executed. 
An  accurate  stenographer  can  save  her  chief  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  worry — and  he  appreciates  it,  perhaps  more 
than  you  think. 

Inaccuracy  is  the  most  common  defect  among  stenog- 
raphers. It  holds  more  back  from  advancement  in  salary 
and  position  than  does  any  other  defect.  Lack  of  sufficient 
training  is  sometimes  the  cause  of  inaccuracy,  but  care- 
lessness is  usually  the  cause  of  it. 

Necessity  for  Self-analysis 

Most  of  us  can  easily  see  the  faults  in  other  persons, 
but  few  of  us  can  see  our  own  faults.  The  ambitious 
stenographer  must  be  able  to  take  an  inventory  of  herself 
to  determine  just  what  her  defects  are.  None  of  us  is 
perfect;  faults  exist  in  every  one  of  us.  Isn't  it  better 
that  you  should  find  out  what  is  wrong  with  yourself,  so 

6 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

that  you  can  correct  it,  than  to  be  held  back  by  faults 
that  you  don't  see  or  don't  care  to  see,  yet  which  the 
employer  sees?  No  stenographer  can  be  a  success  until  she 
has  analyzed  herself,  found  out  her  shortcomings,  and 
taken  steps  to  remedy  them. 

You  have  had  enough  experience  in  life  to  know  that 
few  persons  outside  your  immediate  family  will  criticize 
you,  your  work,  your  manners,  etc.,  to  your  face,  though 
they  may  and  probably  do  behind  your  back.  To  you 
alone  is  given  the  privilege  and  responsibility  of  making 
yourself.  And  since  others  don't  tell  you  your  faults, 
you  must  find  them  out  for  yourself. 

The  necessity  for  self-analysis  is,  therefore,  ever  present. 
You  want  to  make  yourself  a  success,  you  want  to  make 
your  life  a  success.  So  you  should  continually  strive  to 
improve  yourself,  and  honest  self-examination  will  show 
you  wherein  to  make  yourself  better. 

Are  You  Accurate? 

You  now  know  that  accuracy  is  a  very  valuable  quality 
of  a  stenographer.  Suppose  that  you  were  asked  this 
question,  "Are  you  accurate?"  Without  much  thinking 
you  might  say,  "Yes."  But  are  you?  To  find  out,  exam- 
ine yourself  now  by  giving  an  honest  answer  to  each 
of  the  following  questions: 


1.  Do  you  make  mistakes  in  taking  dictation?     How  often? 

£.  Are  these  mistakes  caused  by  inability  to  take  dictation  as 

rapidly  as  the  dictator  gives  it?     By  lack  of  training?     By 

carelessness  on  your  part? 
3.  If  you  don't  understand  what  the  dictator  said,  do  you  ask 

him  to  repeat  it  or  do  you  "take  a  chance"  that  in  reading 

the  typed  letter  he  won't  notice  that  you  didn't  get  his  exact 

wording? 

7 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

4.  In  typing  the  letter,  do  you  make  mistakes  because  of  in- 
ability to  read  your  own  notes?     What  is  the  reason — care- 
lessness when  you  made  the  notes  or  carelessness  in  reading 
them? 

5.  Do  you  make  frequent  erasures  in  your  letter?     Why — care- 
lessness in  typing  or  carelessness  in  spelling? 

6.  How  many  mistakes  do  you  make  in  spelling?     What  is  the 
reason — lack  of  training  or  carelessness? 

7.  If  you  aren't  sure  of  the  spelling  of  a  word  do  you  look  it  up 
in  a  dictionary,  or  do  you  sometimes  take  the  chance  that 
you  have  spelled  it  correctly? 

8.  Do  you  make  mistakes  in  punctuation? 

9.  Do  you  know  the  rules  of  punctuation? 

10.  If,  when  you  are  transcribing  your  notes  on  the  typewrit  or, 
you  find  some  notes  that  you  don't  understand,  do  you  ask 
the  dictator  what  he  said  or  are  you  afraid  to  expose  your 
carelessness  and  make  the  second  mistake  of  typing  a  jumble 
of  words  which  do  not  convey  the  sense  as  the  dictator  gave 
it  to  you? 

11.  Do  you  ever  put  the  wrong  inclosures  in  the  letter?    Or  leave 
inclosures  out? 


If  you  rarely  make  these  mistakes  you  are  accurate; 
otherwise  you  are  not. 

And  in  reading  the  questions  did  you  notice  how  often 
carelessness  is  the  cause  of  the  error?  This  fact  should 
show  you  that,  above  all  things,  you  must  always  be  on 
your  guard  against  carelessness.  Remember  that  stenog- 
raphy and  typewriting  are  exact  subjects,  like  arithmetic, 
for  instance.  One  mistake  in  multiplying  one  set  of  fig- 
ures by  another  set  means  that  the  answer  is  wrong.  One 
mistake  in  taking  dictation  or  in  transcribing  means  that 
your  letter  is  incorrect.  Strive  to  be  100  per  cent  accurate. 

Never  let  the  employer  find  mistakes  in  your  work.  If 
you  do  make  any  mistakes  find  them  yourself,  and  correct 
them.  For  example,  if  you  are  asked  to  do  some  copying, 
go  over  your  work  after  you  have  finished  it,  and  carefully 

8 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

compare  it  with  the  original  from  which  you  are  copying. 
Make  certain  that  your  work  is  correct  before  you  hand 
it  in. 

The   Good  Stenographer  Has  an  Agreeable 
Personality 

The  second  quality  that  the  good  stenographer  possesses 
is  an  agreeable  personality.  At  first  glance  it  may  not 
be  clear  why  this  quality  is  so  important.  After  a  little 
thought,  however,  you  will  see  that  the  qualities  under 
discussion  are  being  considered  from  the  employer's  point 
of  view.  Why  is  it,  then,  that  the  employer  values  this 
quality  in  his  stenographers?  For  one  thing — because  he 
has  learned  from  experience  that  a  stenographer  who  has 
a  disagreeable  personality  can  cause  much  trouble  among 
the  office  force.  In  fact,  she  is  known  in  business  as  a 
"trouble  maker."  Among  the  things  she  does  to  make 
herself  disliked  are  these:  she  carries  tales,  she  criticizes 
her  fellow  workers  behind  their  backs,  she  is  discourteous, 
she  is  dissatisfied  with  her  job — and  doesn't  care  who 
knows  it.  The  result  is  that  she  causes  others  to  become 
dissatisfied,  arouses  friction  among  her  fellow  workers, 
and  the  office  is  no  longer  a  pleasant  place  to  work  in. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  employer,  afraid  that  she  will 
entirely  disrupt  his  office  organization,  requests  her  to 
resign?  Such  a  case,  although  not  uncommon,  is,  however, 
rather  extreme. 

Agreeable  personality  is  made  up  of  courtesy,  cheerful- 
ness, and  the  inclination  to  be  agreeable  to  people.  Cour- 
tesy is  more  than  the  use  of  polite  expressions — it  is  the 
sincere  regard  for,  and  consideration  of,  the  other  person's 
feelings.  Suppose,  for  instance,  that  a  dictator  said  to  a 
stenographer,  "Miss  Blank,  will  you  take  dictation, 

9 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

please?"  and  the  stenographer  said:  "Just  a  minute.  I 
want  to  finish  this  letter."  In  such  a  case  the  stenogra- 
pher is  not  courteous,  for  she  is  placing  her  own  con- 
venience ahead  of  the  dictator's.  Or  suppose  that  during 
the  time  she  is  taking  dictation  the  dictator  pauses  to 
consider  what  to  say.  If  she  nervously  taps  her  pencil  on 
the  desk  and  thereby  distracts  the  dictator,  she  is  dis- 
courteous, for  she  is  not  considerate  of  his  feelings. 

In  the  two  instances  just  mentioned,  and,  for  that  mat- 
ter, in  most  instances,  the  stenographer  intended  no  dis- 
courteous act.  Indeed,  she  was  probably  unconscious  of 
the  fact  that  her  actions  were  in  any  way  annoying  to 
the  dictator.  If  the  situation  were  explained  to  her  she 
would  probably  say,  "I  didn't  think  that  it  would  annoy 
him."  And  that  is  just  the  point!  Few  people  try  to  be 
discourteous.  Most  acts  of  discourtesy  occur  because 
some  one  "did  not  think." 

The  good  stenographer  is  cheerful  and  because  she  is 
cheerful  she  is  liked.  The  "  grouchy  "  stenographer  is  dis- 
liked both  by  her  employer  and  by  her  fellow  workers. 
It  will  pay  the  ambitious  stenographer  to  train  herself  to 
be  consistently  cheerful.  By  "consistently  cheerful"  is 
meant  that  she  should  be  cheerful  not  only  when  work  is 
slack,  but  also  when  she  is  working  under  pressure  or  is 
asked  to  stay  late.  Many  a  stenographer,  otherwise 
cheerful,  has  injured  herself  by  becoming  sulky  when  she 
was  asked  to  finish  some  letters  after  business  hours  or  to 
do  some  work  that  she  doesn't  like  to  do.  She  shows  her 
petulance  by  spitefully  hammering  the  keys  of  the  type- 
writer. She  indicates  by  her  manner  that  she  knows  she 
is  being  imposed  upon.  Such  a  mood  irritates  the  em- 
ployer to  a  great  extent  and  creates  in  his  mind  a  decidedly 
unfavorable  opinion.  If  you  are  ever  asked  to  stay  late 
to  finish  some  work,  do  it  with  good  grace  even  though 

10 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

at  heart  you  may  feel  disappointed  at  not  getting  out  on 
time.  Such  work  is  important,  or  otherwise  the  employer 
would  not  ask  you  to  stay.  And  since  you  have  to  stay, 
make  the  best  of  it,  put  on  a  good  face,  and  do  the  work 
cheerfully.  You  will  never  regret  it,  for  it  is  in  just  such 
an  occasion  that  the  employer  is  able  to  see  how  much 
better  you  are  than  the  average  stenographer. 

Many  stenographers  are  far  too  sensitive.  If  the  chief 
speaks  harshly  they  immediately  retire  for  a  cry  or  be- 
come very  cold  and  distant  to  him.  If  the  employer 
should  ever  criticize  your  work  or  speak  sharply  to  you, 
don't  be  sensitive  and  show  your  resentment.  Keep  your 
good  nature,  be  cheerful,  and  forget  it  as  soon  as  possible. 
You  are  in  business — not  at  a  social  gathering — and  you 
must  take  these  things  as  they  come.  If  you  "nurse" 
your  resentment  you  will  only  make  matters  harder  for 
yourself.  Remember  that  the  chief  has  his  troubles,  too, 
and  did  not  mean  to  speak  in  such  a  manner.  Of  course 
this  does  not  excuse  his  fault,  although  he  probably  is 
sorry  the  moment  after  the  words  have  left  his  mouth. 
It  is  better  for  you  and  for  all  concerned  that  you  be  big 
enough  to  overlook  it  and  to  proceed  with  your  work  as 
if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 

Analyze  yourself  to  find  out  whether  you  can  improve 
your  personality.  These  questions  will  help  you: 

1.  Do  you  feel  that  you  are  liked  by  your  fellow  workers,  and 
do  you  get  along  well  with  everyone  in  the  office? 

2.  Do  you  try  to  make  yourself  liked,  by  being  agreeable? 

3.  Are  you  consistently  courteous  and  agreeable  to  your  fellow 
workers? 

4.  Are  you  consistently  cheerful,  or  do  you  have  "blues"  and 
"grouches"? 

5.  When  you  are  overburdened  with  work  do  you  become  vexed 
and  irritated,  or  do  you  still  try  to  keep  cheerful? 

11 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

6.  When  you  have  to  stay  late  to  finish  some  work,  do  you  allow 
your  vexation  to  show? 

7.  If  you  are  criticized,  do  you  resent  it? 

8.  If  your  employer  or  any  other  superior  speaks  harshly,  do 
you  flare  up  or  show  your  resentment  in  other  ways? 

9.  Do  you  cause  anguish  to  others  by  thoughtless  gossip  about 
them? 

10.  Do  you  grumble  about  the  work  you  do,  or  make  others  dis- 
satisfied with  their  work?  Are  you  jealous  and  suspicious  of 
the  chief's  seeming  preferences  for  fellow  workers? 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Trustworthy 

The  stenographer  is  in  a  position  of  confidence,  and 
she  should  recognize  it  as  such.  Whatever  she  learns  from 
her  dictation  or  from  her  position  of  trust  in  the  office 
she  should  consider  confidential,  and  should  not  speak  of 
it  to  others — not  even  to  other  people  in  the  office.  Much 
trouble  has  been  caused  in  business  offices  by  stenogra- 
phers telling  one  another  information  of  a  confidential 
nature.  Don't  gossip  about  the  contents  of  your  letters 
or  about  what  you  heard  the  employer  say.  Be  discreet; 
keep  these  things  to  yourself.  Show  your  chief  that  you 
are  discreet,  that  you  can  keep  a  secret,  that  you  are 
worthy  of  trust — do  these  things  and  the  chief  will  n-ly 
more  and  more  on  you,  secure  in  the  knowledge  that  you 
can  be  trusted. 

The  good  stenographer  is  loyal  to  her  chief.  In  all  her 
actions  she  has  the  best  interests  of  her  chief  at  heart  and 
he  knows  that  he  can  place  implicit  trust  in  her.  She 
may  know  his  faults  and  shortcomings,  but  she  keeps 
them  to  herself — she  never  disparages  him  to  others,  but 
sticks  up  for  him  when  others  disparage  him. 

The  good  stenographer  is  reliable.  Her  chief  can  trust 
her  to  do  her  work  without  supervision.  If  he  leaves  the 
office  he  knows  that  she  will  go  on  doing  her  work  as  if 

12 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

he  were  there.    She  is  reliable  in  her  work,  in  her  state- 
ments, and  in  her  conduct. 

Are  you  trustworthy?  To  find  out,  answer  these 
questions : 

1.  Do  you  ever  talk  to  outsiders  or  to  others  in  your  office  (except 
for  business  reasons)  about  the  contents  of  your  letters? 

2.  Have  you  always  kept  to  yourself  everything  that  you  learned 
from  or  about  your  employer? 

3.  Do  you  ever  criticize  your  employer  to  others? 

4.  When  your  chief  was  out  of  the  office  have  you  worked  as  if 
he  were  there? 

5.  Suppose  you  are  the  employer.     Would  you  now  say  that  you 
had  always  been  discreet,  that  whatever  you  said  or  did  was 
to  his  best  interests? 

The  Good  Stenographer  Is  Diligent 

Diligence  is  a  quality  that  business  always  admires  and 
values  highly.  Any  worker  who  is  diligent,  already  bears 
the  stamp  of  success.  Witness  the  fact  that  both  men 
and  women  who  have  made  successes  in  business  possess 
this  quality  to  a  marked  degree. 

Diligence  means  energy,  industry,  and  steady  applica- 
tion. It  suggests  the  worker  who  is  always  "on  the  job" 
eager  to  do  her  work,  who  does  her  work,  does  it  well, 
and  looks  for  more.  It  suggests  the  worker  who  does  not 
have  to  be  watched — one  who  will  work  just  as  indus- 
triously when  the  chief  is  away  as  when  the  chief  is  there, 
and  one  who  takes  an  interest  in  her  work  and  in  the  work 
of  the  business.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  employers  cannot 
get  enough  of  such  workers  and  that  such  workers  rise 
rapidly  in  business? 

The  good  stenographer  is  that  kind  of  worker.  She  is 
energetic;  she  is  industrious — not  only  during  the  first 
week  or  two  on  the  new  job,  but  all  the  time.  Whenever 

13 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

she  is  given  letters  to  transcribe  she  immediately  starts 
work  and  keeps  at  it  until  they  are  done.  There  is  no 
dawdling  around,  no  carrying  on  of  conversations  with 
others,  no  "visiting."  She  attacks  her  work  with  zest 
and  finishes  it  as  quickly  as  she  can.  Then  she  applies 
herself  to  the  next  piece  of  work.  If  the  chief  has  nothing 
for  her  she  attends  to  her  filing;  or,  if  she  has  no  filing  to 
do,  she  cleans  her  machine  or  sharpens  her  pencils  or 
works  at  any  other  of  the  many  things  that  she  can  do. 
She  is  always  caught  up  with  her  work  and  ready  for  more 
work.  She  is  an  industrious,  hard-working  stenographer 
— for  a  time — and  then  you  next  find  her  as  somebody's 
private  secretary,  or  as  assistant  chief  stenographer,  or 
chief  stenographer,  or  in  charge  of  an  office  department. 

Lack  of  diligence  is  one  of  the  most  common  and  worst 
faults  found  with  stenographers  as  a  general  class — not 
that  they  are  lazy,  but  they  often  seem  to  lack  ambition ; 
they  are  indifferent;  they  apparently  don't  care  whether 
business  keeps  or  not.  Many  an  otherwise  capable  girl 
is  paid  less  than  she  might  get  and  is  kept  back  from 
advancement  because  she  is  not  industrious.  Even  though 
we  may  grant  that  many  stenographers  look  upon  their 
occupation  as  temporary  while  they  are  waiting  for  mar- 
riage, is  it  wise  for  them  to  get  into  the  habit  of  letting 
their  work  "slide"?  And  it  does  become  a  habit  very 
quickly.  Once  the  stenographer  lets  herself  go,  once  she 
begins  to  become  slack  in  her  work,  she  rapidly  goes  down- 
hill to  join  that  vast  throng  of  mediocre  stenographers 
who  do  just  as  little  as  they  can  and  must  be  watched  to 
see  that  they  do  that  little.  After  all,  there  is  a  great 
personal  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  "your  work  is  well 
done  and  that  you  are  thought  highly  of  because  of  your 
efficiency. 

Above  all  things,  keep  up  with  your  work.  Go  after  it 

14 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

with  energy  and  with  the  desire  to  do  it  and  do  it  well. 
Then  turn  to  something  else.  But  keep  active,  keep  doing 
things — it  is  the  only  way  to  keep  out  of  the  rut  of 
indolence. 

To  find  out  whether  you  are  diligent  or  not,  answer 
these  questions: 

1.  Do  you  waste  time  in  starting  to  do  your  work? 

2.  Do  you  practically  have  to  force  yourself  to  start  work? 

3.  Do  you  dawdle  over  your  work  and  allow  yourself  to  "take 
things  easy"? 

4.  Do  you  try  to  get  your  work  done  as  quickly  as  possible? 

5.  Do  you  allow  others,  for  no  good  reason,  to  interrupt  you  in 
your  work? 

6.  Are  you  easy  on  yourself?     Do  you  make  excuses  to  yourself 
for  not  working  at  high  speed? 

7.  When  the  chief  is  away  do  you  take  your  time  in  doing  your 
work? 

8.  Do  you  work  as  diligently  now  as  you  did  during  your  first 
week  in  your  present  position? 

9.  Are  you  always  caught  up  with  your  work,  or  are  there  odds 
and  ends  of  work  lying  about  now,  such  as  some  back  filing, 
which  you  are  planning  to  do  but  never  seem  to  get  to? 

10.  Do  you  put  off  doing  work  that  ought  to  be  done?     Do  you 
have  to  be  asked  a  second  time  to  do  a  thing? 

A  Good  Stenographer  Has  Judgment 

Too  many  stenographers  are  "mechanical";  that  is, 
they  do  their  work  in  a  mechanical  way,  like  an  automa- 
ton, and  do  not  "use  their  heads."  They  believe  that  if 
they  take  dictation  fairly  well,  and  transcribe  it  just  as  it 
was  given,  they  are  doing  their  work  efficiently.  But  this 
is  not  true,  as  you  know.  Oftentimes  the  dictator  makes 
a  slip  in  grammar,  word-use,  or  statement  that  should  be 
caught  and  corrected — and  will  be — by  the  girl  who  is 
alert  and  thinking.  Sometimes  the  dictator  forgets  to 

15 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

give  the  stenographer  the  right  inclosure — but  if  she  is 
watchful  she  will  detect  this  mistake  and  see  to  it  that  she 
does  get  the  proper  inclosure.  Or,  again,  he  may  overlook 
asking  to  have  a  letter  placed  in  the  follow-up  file;  but 
the  stenographer  who  has  judgment  will  know  what  to  do. 
The  good  stenographer  is  constantly  striving,  while  she 
is  typing,  to  have  everything  correct.  She  is  on  her  guard 
to  prevent  errors  creeping  into  her  work,  she  takes  a  per- 
sonal pride  in  having  her  work  right,  and  she  is  just  as 
eager  as  the  dictator  that  each  letter  should  go  out  neat, 
clean,  and  free  of  mistakes.  She  uses  judgment  while  she 
is  typing.  She  makes  certain  that  the  letter  makes  sense 
throughout — and  if  her  notes  don't  make  sense  she  either 
asks  the  dictator  for  information  or  she  exercises  her  dis- 
cretion and  judgment  in  working  out  the  right  meaning. 

Good  Deportment  in  the  Office 

Good  deportment  has  to  do  with  actions,  manners,  and 
conduct  in  the  office.  Too  often  the  stenographer  over- 
looks the  importance  of  such  matters,  perhaps  because 
they  have  never  been  brought  to  her  attention.  Yet  an 
otherwise  good  stenographer  may  be  thought  less  of  by 
her  employer  on  account  of  the  fact  that  she  either  is 
careless  of  how  she  conducts  herself,  or  does  not  realize 
the  bad  impression  she  makes  by  her  unbusinesslike  man- 
ners. So  important  is  this  subject  that  the  next  chapter, 
"Your  Conduct  in  the  Office,"  is  given  over  entirely  to  a 
detailed  discussion  of  it. 


Chapter  II 

Your  Conduct  in  the  Office 
Office    Rules    Should    Be    Observed 

NEARLY  every  business  office  has  a  set  of  rules  that 
have  been  laid  down  for  the  purpose  of  standardizing  the 
routine  of  the  office  and  making  the  office  run  efficiently. 
If  you  were  in  charge  of  an  office  you  would  probably  put 
these  same  rules  into  effect  yourself,  for  you  would  then 
appreciate  why  they  are  needed  if  the  office  is  to  be  run 
right  and  not  in  a  haphazard,  happy-go-lucky  fashion. 

Some  stenographers  feel  that  these  rules  do  not  apply 
to  them  and  that  it  doesn't  make  much  difference,  any- 
way, if  they  don't  observe  them.  Such  ideas  are  wrong 
and  will  only  lead  to  trouble.  The  rules  apply  to  all,  and 
no  girl  should  consider  that  she  is  an  exception.  She 
should  never,  by  her  failure  to  observe  them,  compel  the 
office  manager  or  chief  stenographer  to  "call  her  down" 
for  breaking  them.  And  it  does  make  a  lot  of  difference 
whether  she  observes  them  or  not.  She  may  not  know  it 
at  the  time — she  may  even  think  that  she  is  "getting 
away  with  it" — but  her  conduct  seldom  escapes  the  ob- 
servation of  those  in  authority,  with  the  result  that  she 
conies  into  disfavor  with  them. 

The  stenographer  often  makes  such  a  mistake  because 
she  does  not  appreciate  the  necessity  for  such  rules.  For 

17 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

example,  in  your  office  there  may  be  a  rule  against  using 
the  telephone  for  personal  calls,  except  for  important 
reasons.  You  may  say  to  yourself:  "  Why,  that's  a  foolish 
and  unjust  rule.  What  difference  can  it  make  if  I  use  the 
telephone  just  once  or  twice  a  day?"  The  answer  is  that 
just  one  or  two  calls  wouldn't  make  much  difference. 
But  if  you  have  the  right  to  use  the  telephone  for  personal 
calls,  so  have  the  other  girls.  And  then  it  does  make  a 
difference.  Besides,  you  leave  your  work  to  do  the  tele- 
phoning, you  distract  others  near  the  telephone,  and  just 
when  you  are  carrying  on  your  very  interesting  conversa- 
tion the  chief  may  be  waiting  to  give  you  dictation  or  to 
get  that  letter  that  you  left  unfinished  in  your  machine. 
You  may  retort:  "I  would  use  the  telephone  only  when  I 
had  a  few  slack  minutes.  I  wouldn't  interfere  with  the 
work  of  the  office."  But  the  answer  to  that  is,  you  may 
be  discreet,  but  how  about  others?  If  everyone  were  dis- 
creet and  made  sure  that  her  actions  didn't  interfere  with 
the  work  of  the  office,  there  would  be  no  need  for  any 
rules.  But  everyone  is  not  so  discreet  as  you  are;  hence, 
office  rules  were  made. 

Often  the  office  rules  are  a  source  of  annoyance  to  the 
girls.  They  feel  that  they  aren't  being  trusted  to  do  the 
proper  thing.  If  you  are  annoyed  by  the  fact  that  your 
office  has  rules,  please  remember  that  not  all  girls  can  be 
trusted,  that  office  efficiency  demands  rules,  and  that  they 
exist  for  the  benefit  of  all.  How  would  you  feel,  if  there 
were  no  office  rules  about  punctuality,  to  be  on  time 
yourself  every  day  and  then  see  another  girl  come  in  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes  late  every  other  day  without  anything 
being  said  to  her?  You  wouldn't  like  it,  would  you? 
After  a  while  you  would  probably  say,  "If  she  can  do  it, 
I  have  the  right  to  do  it,"  and  all  the  other  girls  would 

say  the  same  thing.     Then,  the  first  thing  you  know, 

18 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

everyone  would  be  coming  in  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  late. 
What  kind  of  office  would  that  be  then? 

No  matter  what  others  do  about  the  rules,  you  stick  by 
them.  You  will  often  see  other  girls  disregarding  them, 
and,  because  you  may  see  no  action  taken  in  their  cases, 
you  may  think  that  their  infractions  of  the  rules  are  being 
overlooked.  And  that  fact  may  make  you  dissatisfied  and 
may  tempt  you  to  do  the  same.  But  don't  think  it! 
Such  things  are  seen  and  taken  note  of.  And  some  day, 
when  such  a  girl  is  least  expecting  it,  the  result  shows  up : 
she  may  ask  for  more  salary  and  be  refused;  she  may  be 
passed  by  at  the  time  raises  are  made;  she  may  lose  an 
opportunity  to  be  advanced;  or  she  may  be  asked  to 
resign.  She  is  not  the  kind  of  employee  that  benefits  an 
office- — and  those  in  authority  know  it.  So,  no  matter 
what  others  do,  observe  your  office  rules.  Some  day  you 
will  be  glad  that  you  did. 

Be  Punctual 

One  of  the  chief  office  rules  is  that  regarding  punc- 
tuality. Violations  of  this  rule  probably  cause  more 
trouble  than  the  violation  of  any  other  rule :  first,  because 
they  are  so  common;  and  second,  because  they  disrupt 
the  efficient  operation  of  the  office  so  much.  How  would 
you  feel  if  you  were  a  dictator  and  got  down  to  the  office 
on  time,  only  to  find  that  you  had  to  wait  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  until  your  stenographer  arrived?  How  would 
you  feel  toward  an  employee,  if  you  were  running  a 
business,  and  found  that  that  employee  was  often  late, 
was  not  working  during  the  time  for  which  you  were  pay- 
ing him?  After  all,  however,  there  are  three  big  reasons 
why  you  should  be  punctual:  first,  because,  especially  in 
the  morning,  there  usually  is  work  waiting  to  be  done 

19 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

which  should  not  be  held  up;  second,  because  your  late- 
ness may  make  other  girls  feel  that  they  have  a  right  to 
be  late;  and  third,  because  for  your  own  benefit  punc- 
tuality is  a  good  habit. 

Of  course  it's  hard  to  be  on  time.  But  it  is  just  as  hard 
for  others  as  it  is  for  you.  Train  yourself  to  get  up  in 
plenty  of  time  to  make  your  toilet  properly  and  to  eat  a 
good  breakfast.  Don't  lie  in  bed  until  the  very  last  mo- 
ment, then  jump  up,  rush  through  dressing,  eat  a  hasty 
and  scanty  breakfast,  and  just  get  to  the  office  on  time. 
You  can't  work  well  if  you  eat  breakfast  like  that,  and 
your  hurrying  is  not  doing  you  any  good.  Get  up  so  that 
you  will  have  ample  time  for  these  things. 

Another  infraction  of  the  punctuality  rule  occurs  at 
lunch  time.  Many  girls  impose  on  their  employers  by 
taking  an  extra  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  at  this  time.  This 
is  not  right.  You  know  the  length  of  time  you  are 
allowed  for  luncheon;  so  don't  take  any  more.  Be  back 
at  your  desk  ready  to  start  your  work  on  time.  This  also 
applies  to  rest  periods.  And  at  night,  don't  clip  off  five 
or  ten  minutes  from  your  leaving  time.  Remember  that 
you  are  in  business,  that  your  time  is  bought  and  paid 
for;  so  be  businesslike,  be  punctual,  and  give  to  the  office 
the  time  that  you  are  paid  to  give.  You  need  not  be 
reminded  that  such  matters  are  noted  and  that  every 
lateness  adds  a  black  mark  to  your  record. 

Attendance 

Some  stenographers  stay  home  or  away  from  work  on 
the  slightest  provocation,  and  often  because  of  imaginary 
ailments.  Perhaps  they  do  not  realize  that  their  absence 
means  an  increased  burden  on  the  other  stenographers  in 

the  office  or  that  it  may  prevent  one  or  more  dictators 

20 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

from  getting  their  work  done.  Be  careful  and  conscien- 
tious in  this  matter.  Keep  as  good  an  attendance  record 
as  you  possibly  can.  The  girl  who  is  frequently  absent  is 
not  dependable,  for  her  attendance  can  never  be  depended 
upon,  and  sooner  or  later  she  must  be  replaced. 

If  you  are  unable,  on  account  of  sickness  or  for  any 
other  good  reason,  to  go  to  the  office,  at  least  telephone 
to  the  office  and  let  them  know  so  that  other  arrangements 
can  be  made  to  take  care  of  your  work. 

Using  the  Telephone  for  Personal  Calls 

Do  not  use  the  office  telephone  during  business  hours 
for  your  own  personal  calls  except  in  cases  of  real  impor- 
tance. Your  telephoning  may  distract  others  from  their 
work,  and,  moreover,  such  actions  are  not  considered 
businesslike.  In  addition,  discourage  your  friends  and 
acquaintances  from  telephoning  to  you  at  the  office.  Very 
often  such  calls  interrupt  the  dictator  or  make  you  stop 
your  work.  The  office  is  a  place  of  business;  it  is  not 
your  home,  and  therefore  you  should  not  expect  to  be 
allowed  the  same  amount  of  freedom.  Many  stenogra- 
phers get  themselves  into  disfavor  because  of  these  calls. 

"  Visiting  "  in  the  Office 

"Visiting"  in  the  office  is  a  harmful  practice,  both  to 
you  personally  and  to  the  efficiency  of  the  office.  By 
"visiting"  is  meant  the  carrying  on  of  conversations  with 
other  workers  in  your  office  on  matters  not  strictly  relevant 
to  the  business.  For  example,  a  stenographer  on  her  way 
to  her  desk,  after  having  taken  dictation,  passes  by  the 
desk  of  a  friend  or  acquaintance  and  pauses  to  talk  about 
such  a  topic  as  dress,  what  they  did  last  night,  or  where 

3  21 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

they  are  going  for  the  week-end.  The  temptation  to  do 
this  is  very  great,  but  the  good  stenographer  will  avoid 
it  because  she  knows  that  she  is  wasting  time  when  she 
ought  to  be  working,  that  she  is  causing  another  worker 
to  waste  business  time,  and  that  the  conversation  is  likely 
to  annoy  or  distract  others.  She  also  knows  that  such 
"visiting"  is  a  violation  of  good  business  conduct — it  is 
out  of  place  in  the  office.  When  you  are  in  business,  be 
businesslike. 

The  Proper  Attitude  Toward  Your  Work 

One  of  the  most  common  criticisms  made  by  business 
men  against  stenographers  as  a  general  class  is  that  they 
are  not  businesslike,  that  they  do  not  have  the  proper 
attitude  toward  their  work.  This  criticism  is  probably 
a  sound  one  and  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  many  women 
do  not  take  business  as  seriously  as  do  men.  They  do 
not  take  the  same  amount  of  interest  in  it,  but  often  allow 
other  matters  to  take  precedence. 

Since  you  are  in  business,  and  since  you  do  not  know 
how  long  you  will  remain  in  it,  why  not  play  the  game 
right?  Take  the  proper  businesslike  attitude  toward 
your  work,  strive  to  do  your  work  better  and  more 
efficiently,  and  have  the  interests  of  the  business  at  heart. 
Do  these  things — if  not  for  the  sake  of  the  business,  at 
least  for  your  own  sake,  and  for  your  own  benefit  in  the 
form  of  a  larger  salary  and  a  better  position.  If  you 
will  take  the  proper  attitude  toward  business  you  will 
understand  why  it  is  necessary  that  you  deport  yourself 
in  accordance  with  the  office  rules,  and  even  if  there  are 
no  definite  rules  laid  down,  you  will  appreciate  that  there 
are  certain  broad  rules  of  business  conduct  that  you 

ought  to  follow. 

22 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Conduct  Toward  Other  Workers 

Since  there  are  other  workers  in  the  office  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  good  of  the  office  that  you  follow  out  certain 
rules  of  conduct  toward  them.  The  first  rule  is  that  of 
courtesy.  As  you  want  your  own  work  at  the  office  to 
be  as  agreeable  as  possible,  you  must  do  your  share  toward 
keeping  up  a  good  spirit  in  the  office.  If  everyone  is 
courteous  and  agreeable  to  everyone  else,  yours  will  be 
a  pleasant  place  to  work  in.  But  if  there  are  little  cliques 
and  groups,  if  there  are  discourtesy  and  quarrels,  if  there 
are  criticism  and  countercriticism,  if  there  are  suspicion  and 
jealousies — then  your  office  life  will  not  be  very  pleasant. 
Do  your  share,  therefore,  to  keep  these  troubles  out. 
Courtesy  and  agreeableness  make  up  the  oil  that  lessens 
friction. 

Co-operate  with  your  fellow  workers,  and  if  you  can 
help  them,  do  so.  Team  work  means  better  results  for 
you,  for  your  fellow  workers,  and  for  the  office. 

Do  not  become  familiar  with  the  men  workers  or  allow 
them  to  become  familiar  with  you.  This  does  not  mean 
that  you  are  to  be  cold  and  distant  to  them;  not  at  all. 
You  should  be  pleasant  and  agreeable,  but  bear  in  mind 
that  actions  that  are  perfectly  all  right  outside  business 
hours  are  not  considered  all  right  in  a  business  office.  This 
is  a  matter  for  your  own  discretion  and  judgment.  But 
it  is  safer  to  be  considered  too  strict  in  these  matters  than 
too  liberal. 

Your  Personal  Appearance 

Little,  if  any,  advice  can  be  given  to  women  stenog- 
raphers concerning  the  subject  of  personal  appearance,  for 
women  appreciate  more  than  do  men  the  value  of  such 
matters  as  correct  dress,  neatness,  and  cleanliness.  Yet,  a 

23 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

suggestion  or  two  from  the  business  man's  point  of  view 
may  be  found  valuable — or  at  least  of  interest.  These  mat- 
ters are  of  such  a  personal  and  intimate  nature  that, 
although  he  sometimes  would  like  to  say  something  about 
them,  the  business  man  is  afraid  to.  Moreover,  even  a 
girl's  best  friends  will  seldom,  if  ever,  tell  her  about  her 
deficiencies  in  these  things  for  fear  of  losing  her  friendship. 
Hence,  a  girl  must  be  her  own  mirror,  her  own  counselor. 

First  of  all  the  business  man  silently  criticizes  the 
stenographer  who  wears  an  attire  more  suited  for  social 
affairs  than  for  office  work.  He  may  like  "dressy" 
clothes,  but  he  believes  that  the  office  is  not  the  place  to 
wear  them.  He  much  prefers  to  see  the  girl  appropriately 
attired  for  her  work — and  this  means  simple,  plain,  work- 
aday clothing.  He  knows  from  experience  that  the  over- 
dressed girl  is  usually  an  inefficient  worker,  for  she  either 
thinks  more  about  how  she  looks  than  about  her  work,  or 
is  so  much  dressed  up  that  she  can't  get  down  to  work,  or 
is  so  uncomfortable  that  she  can't  do  good  work.  He 
believes  that  for  work  she  should  wear  working  clothes, 
not  playing  clothes.  A  girl  who  dresses  in  a  businesslike 
way  appears  to  be  a  better  worker,  and  she  usually  is,  for 
fashionable  shoes,  high  heels,  a  tight  dress — these  will  not 
let  a  girl  do  good  work.  She  is  too  uncomfortable. 

Then  there  is  the  matter  of  overdoing  the  use  of  per- 
fume, powder,  and  other  cosmetics.  The  business  man 
strenuously,  but  silently,  objects  to  them.  He  doesn't 
like  to  have  his  office  turned  into  a  beauty  parlor.  He  is 
there  for  work,  he  wants  others  to  be  there  for  work,  and 
he  likes  to  have  the  office  look  like  a  working  place. 

Cleanliness  in  respect  to  one's  person  and  dress  need 
not  be  discussed,  for  all  know,  or  should  know,  its  businrss 
value.  But  just  one  hint:  the  stenographer's  hands  and 
nails  are  usually  under  the  direct  gaze  of  the  dictator. 

24 


Chapter  III 

When  You  Take  Dictation 
The  Importance  of  Taking  Dictation  Right 

THE  employer  or  dictator  usually  has  only  two  occa- 
sions on  which  he  has  an  opportunity  to  judge  the  value 
and  ability  of  the  stenographer:  first,  when  she  takes  his 
dictation;  and,  second,  when  he  sees  the  completed  work 
before  him.  Disregarding,  for  the  time  being,  the  latter 
occasion,  let  us  consider  the  first — taking  dictation.  This 
occasion  is  a  very  important  opportunity  for  the  stenog- 
rapher, because  it  is  at  this  time  (often  the  only  time) 
that  she  comes  under  the  direct,  personal  attention  and 
notice  of  the  dictator;  it  is  at  this  time  that  he  receives 
a  favorable  or  unfavorable  impression  of  his  stenographer's 
ability,  personality,  and  other  qualities.  And  it  is  from 
these  frequent  meetings  that  there  is  gradually  built  up 
in  the  dictator's  mind  the  judgment  that  you  are  an 
unusually  efficient,  or  a  mediocre,  or  a  poor  stenographer. 
Taking  dictation  is  indeed  an  opportunity  for  the  ste- 
nographer, and  she  should  know  how  to  make  the  most 
of  it. 

Be  Prepared 

When  you  are  asked  to  take  dictation,  drop  all  work 
immediately,  take  your  book  and  pencils,  and  go  to  the 

25 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

dictator's  desk.  Even  though  you  may  be  part  way 
through  a  letter  that  you  are  typing,  leave  it  in  your 
machine  and  prepare  to  take  dictation.  Never  make  the 
dictator  wait.  If  you  do  so  you  will  only  make  things 
harder  for  yourself,  for  being  made  to  wait  usually  affects 
the  temper  of  most  dictators. 

Whenever  you  are  called  by  a  dictator  and  do  not  know 
whether  it  is  for  dictation  or  not,  always  take  your  note- 
book and  pencils  with  you. 

In  order  not  to  keep  the  dictator  waiting,  be  sure  to  keep 
two  or  three  well-sharpened  pencils  in  your  desk  so  that 
you  will  never  be  forced  to  stop  to  sharpen  one.  If  you 
use  a  fountain  pen,  be  sure  that  it  is  in  good  working  order 
and  that  it  is  filled. 

Keep  your  dictation  book  in  one  place  so  that  you  can 
always  find  it  quickly.  On  your  way  to  the  dictator's 
desk  turn  the  pages  of  your  book  to  the  proper  place,  so 
that  when  you  arrive  at  the  desk  you  won't  have  to  waste 
time  trying  to  find  it.  In. fact,  it  is  advisable  to  have  the 
next  blank  page  indicated  by  a  rubber  band  around  your 
book  or  by  a  turned-down  page.  Take  two  pencils  with 
you  in  order  that  if  the  point  of  one  of  them  should  break 
or  become  dull,  as  so  often  happens,  you  will  still  have  one 
to  use.  This  precaution  will  save  you  the  embarrassment 
of  being  forced  to  keep  the  dictator  waiting  while  you 
sharpen  another  pencil  or  while  you  go  to  your  desk  to  get 
one.  Give  some  attention  to  these  details,  make  such 
matters  a  habit,  and  you  will  earn  the  good  will  of  your 
dictator. 

When  you  reach  the  dictator's  desk,  pull  up  a  chair  for 
yourself,  pull  out  the  slide  of  the  desk,  or  place  your  book 
on  the  desk,  or  rest  it  on  your  knees,  and  signify  that 
you  are  ready. 

26 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Your  Manner  When   Taking  Dictation 

One  of  the  main  points  to  watch  is  your  manner  when 
taking  dictation.  Remember  that  you  can  help  the  dic- 
tator a  great  deal  in  his  dictation  by  your  attitude.  The 
dictator  is  trying  to  concentrate  his  mind  on  what  he  is 
to  say  or  is  saying,  and  the  slightest  distraction  will  cause 
him  annoyance.  So,  whatever  you  do,  don't  fidget  while 
he  is  reflecting  or  hesitating  over  what  he  is  going  to  say 
next.  Some  stenographers,  while  they  are  waiting  for  the 
dictator  to  dictate  something,  unconsciously  distract  his 
attention  by  tapping  their  pencils  on  the  desk  or  book, 
by  examining  their  finger  nails,  and  by  similar  practices. 
You  can  spend  this  time  to  good  advantage  by  reading 
your  notes  and  making  sure  that  you  have  everything 
right,  by  planning  your  letters,  by  putting  in  punctuation 
and  paragraph  marks  if  these  are  not  given  to  you,  and 
so  forth. 

And  don't  look  expectantly  into  his  face  while  he  is 
trying  to  think.  This  action  either  hurries  him  or  makes 
him  nervous,  with  the  result  that  he  is  dissatisfied  with 
his  dictation. 

It  is  rather  difficult  to  take  dictation  that  is  slow,  jerky, 
and  labored,  but  be  as  patient  and  sympathetic  in  your 
attitude  as  you  can.  The  dictator  will  appreciate  it  more 
than  you  know. 

When  the  dictation  is  lengthy  some  stenographers  be- 
come sulky,  pretend  weariness,  or  appear  anxious  to  get 
away.  Such  an  attitude  is  very  trying  to  the  dictator, 
although  he  may  not  say  anything  about  it.  Be  patient 
and  cheerful  throughout  the  dictation. 

Some  stenographers  become  very  nervous  when  they 
are  asked  to  take  dictation.  They  are  afraid  of  the  dic- 
tator or  afraid  that  they  will  make  mistakes.  It  is  need- 

27 


.      THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

less  to  say  that  they  must  overcome  this  feeling,  for  a  girl 
who  is  in  such  a  frame  of  mind  cannot  take  dictation  well. 

Points  on  Taking  Dictation 

In  beginning  the  day's  dictation  put  the  date  at  the  top 
of  a  new  page,  so  that  if  you  are  called  upon  a  week  or  so 
later  to  read  your  notes  on  a  letter  that  is  questioned,  you 
can  quickly  find  the  proper  place. 

One  of  the  first  suggestions  concerning  the  taking  of  dic- 
tation which,  if  followed  by  the  stenographer,  will  make 
her  more  efficient,  is  this:  Don't  interrupt  the  dictator 
when  he  is  dictating,  unless  he  is  going  too  fast.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  if  you  interrupt  him  when  he  is  in 
the  middle  of  an  idea,,  you  will  very  likely  cause  him  to 
lose  the  thread  of  his  thought.  If  you  fail  to  understand 
a  word  or  phrase  that  he  gave  you,  mark  that  spot  in  some 
manner  and  wait  either  until  the  end  of  the  letter  or  until 
he  has  paused,  before  asking  what  it  was  that  he  said. 

The  next  suggestion  is  this:  Remember  that  the  cor- 
rectness of  your  finished  letter  depends  upon  your  accuracy 
in  getting  down  exactly  what  the  dictator  said.  Your 
notes  must  be  100  per  cent  perfect,  or  otherwise  your 
letter  may  have  to  be  retyped.  Save  yourself  this  extra 
work,  and  the  embarrassment  of  being  compelled  to  do 
your  work  over  again,  by  taking  the  utmost  precautions 
to  be  sure  that  your  notes  are  right. 

Many  stenographers,  when  they  have  failed  to  catch 
what  the  dictator  said  or  when  they  have  not  understood 
an  unfamiliar  word,  are  afraid  to  reveal  to  the  dictator 
their  inattention,  carelessness,  or  lack  of  understanding, 
by  asking  him  to  repeat  or  to  spell  out  the  word.  They 
"take  a  chance"  that  they  can  later  work  out  the  sense 
or  can  find  the  word  in  the  dictionary.  But  don't  you  do 

28 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

it.  These  things,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  show  up  very 
noticeably  in  the  finished  letter  and  are  nearly  always 
caught  by  the  dictator  before  he  signs  the  letter.  //  you 
don't  know,  ask,  and  have  the  dictator  set  you  right. 
Don't  add  to  one  fault  by  making  another.  So  far  as  the 
dictator  is  concerned  he  would  much  rather  have  you  ask 
than  be  compelled  later  to  have  you  retype  your  letter 
on  account  of  the  inaccuracies  in  it.  It  saves  him  time 
and  annoyance. 

Bear  in  mind,  then,  that  your  ability  to  take  dictation 
is  judged  by  your  finished  letter,  and  that  accuracy  is  the 
most  important  quality  of  a  stenographer.  Certainly  your 
letter  cannot  be  accurate  if  your  notes  aren't.  Accord- 
ingly, before  you  leave  the  dictator,  be  sure  that  you  have 
no  doubts  about  the  accuracy  of  your  notes.  //  you  aren't 
sure,  ask.  Then,  again,  remember  that  you  will  have  to 
read  your  notes  when  you  are  typing  them  out.  Accord- 
ingly, take  pains  to  make  your  notes  legible.  Care  now 
will  save  time  and  trouble  when  you  are  transcribing. 

Be  particularly  careful  of  names  and  addresses.  If  the 
dictator  begins  by  giving  you  the  name  of  the  person  or 
persons  to  whom  he  is  writing,  or  if  he  uses  a  name  else- 
where in  his  dictation  and  does  not  spell  it  out  for  you, 
make  sure  that  you  know  how  to  spell  that  name.  Write 
it  out  in  longhand.  As  you  know,  there  are  no  rules  for 
the  spelling  of  names :  Cramer  sounds  the  same  as  Kramer, 
Coughlan  sounds  like  Coughlin,  and  Spalding  like  Spaul- 
ding,  but  they  are  spelled  differently.  You  have  no  way 
of  knowing  the  correct  spelling  unless  from  experience 
with  this  dictator  you  know  to  whom  he  refers,  or  unless 
you  ask.  The  misspelling  of  a  customer's  name  is  a  busi- 
ness blunder.  If  the  dictator  is  in  the  habit  of  turning 
over  to  you  the  letters  he  has  answered,  it  is  only  necessary 
to  number  the  letters  in  your  book  or  write  down  a  part 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

of  the  name;  as,  Johnson  Co.,  or  Acker  son.  Always  follow 
exactly  the  identical  form  used  by  the  firm  addressed  on 
its  own  letterhead.  For  examples  note  the  ampersand  (&) 
in  Gordon  &  Jones,  the  article  "The"  in  The  Plimpton 
Press,  the  hyphen  in  The  Globe-Wernicke  Co.,  and  also  the 
fact  that  Co.  is  not  spelled  out. 

The  same  rule  concerning  the  asking  about  spelling 
holds  true  with  respect  to  the  spelling  of  names  of  streets, 
cities,  and  other  places,  trade  articles,  technical  words  and 
expressions,  etc.  It  is  easier  and  more  efficient  to  ask 
than  to  spend  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  trying  to  find  out 
how  they  are  spelled  after  you  have  left  the  dictator. 
And  sometimes  you  can't  find  out,  especially  in  the  case 
of  the  names  of  streets.  Be  especially  careful  of  figures 
and  amounts.  Make  certain  that  you  get  them  correct. 
A  blunder  here  may  be  very  costly  to  the  firm. 

If  the  dictator  does  not  give  you  the  punctuation  to  go 
into  the  letter,  you  should  put  it  in  while  you  are  taking 
the  dictation. 

Carefully  Note  Instructions 

The  dictator  will  often  give  you  instructions  about  what 
he  wants  you  to  do.  He  may  say,  "  Put  that  letter  in  the 
follow-up  file  so  that  it  will  come  back  to  me  on  the  15th  " ; 
or,  "Make  two  extra  carbon  copies  of  that  and  give  them 
to  me";  or,  "Send  this  letter  by  special  delivery."  When- 
ever he  does  give  you  such  instructions  don't  try  to  carry 
them  in  your  mind,  because  you  may  forget  them,  and, 
besides,  because  there  is  no  need  to  burden  your  memory 
with  them.  Make  a  note  of  them  in  your  book.  On 
other  occasions  he  may  hand  you  an  inclosure  to  go  with 
one  of  the  letters.  If  he  does  so,  make  a  note  in  your 
book  of  the  inclosure,  and  also  mark  the  inclosure,  so  that 
you  will  know  into  which  letter  it  is  to  go. 

30 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

In  some  offices  the  dictator  may  have  various  styles  of 
letterheads  that  he  uses  on  different  occasions.  He  may 
have  the  regular  business  letterhead  for  the  usual  business 
letters;  he  may  have  an  official  or  private  letterhead  for 
semi-business,  semi-personal  matters;  and  he  may  have 
his  own  personal  letterhead  for  his  own  personal  letters. 
If  you  aren't  sure  which  letterhead  you  should  use,  ask 
him. 

After  he  has  indicated  that  he  has  finished  dictating, 
make  sure  again  that  you  have  no  doubts  about  your 
notes.  Then  gather  up  the  letters  he  has  answered,  the 
incloeures,  your  book  and  pencils,  and  go  back  to  your 
desk.  Don't,  by  carelessness  or  oversight,  leave  anything 
of  yours  on  the  dictator's  desk. 


Chapter  IV 

Transcribing  and  Typing 
You  Are  Judged  by  Your  Completed  Work 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  last  chapter  the  statement  was 
made  that  the  employer  or  dictator  usually  has  only  two 
occasions  on  which  he  has  an  opportunity  to  judge  the 
value  and  ability  of  the  stenographer:  first,  when  she 
takes  his  dictation;  and,  second,  when  he  sees  the  com- 
pleted work  before  him.  This  second  occasion  now  re- 
mains to  be  discussed. 

Even  a  poor  stenographer  may  make  a  good  impression 
on  the  dictator  at  the  time  she  takes  dictation.  She  may 
apparently  know  her  business  and  seem  to  take  dictation 
well.  But,  after  all,  it  is  the  completed  work  that  the 
dictator  sees  and  judges  by;  in  fact,  it  is  the  finished 
result  that  counts,  that  shows  the  dictator  that  the 
stenographer  is  accurate  and  otherwise  efficient.  Thus  it 
may  be  said  that,  so  far  as  tangible  and  apparent  results 
are  concerned,  the  typed  letter  or  other  matter  is  the  most 
certain  method  of  determining  the  ability  of  a  stenogra- 
pher, for  it  shows  whether  she  can  take  dictation  accu- 
rately, it  shows  her  knowledge  of  such  matters  as  spelling, 
punctuation,  capitalization,  grammar,  and  mechanical 
make-up;  and  it  shows  her  neatness  and  ability  as  a 
typist.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  so  much  importance  is 

32 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

attached  to  the  finished  work  it  should  be  apparent  to 
the  stenographer  that  she  must  concentrate  her  utmost 
efforts  to  insure  that  her  work  is  as  good  as  she  possibly 
can  do. 

Accuracy  in  Transcription 

The  dictator  judges  the  finished  work  of  the  stenographer 
under  two  general  heads:  (1)  accuracy  and  correctness, 
and  (2)  appearance.  As  has  been  said  before,  the  most 
important  quality  of  the  letter  is  accuracy.  It  is  better  to 
go  more  slowly  with  your  typing  and  get  everything  correct 
than  to  go  faster  and  make  mistakes.  Hence,  accuracy  is 
the  keynote  of  efficient  transcribing  and  typing,  as  it  is 
also  of  the  efficient  taking  of  dictation.  Assuming,  there- 
fore, that  your  notes  are  accurate  and  legible,  there  is  no 
reason  except  downright  carelessness  why  your  letter 
shouldn't  be  accurate  with  respect  to  sense  and  meaning. 

It  sometimes  happens,  however,  that  your  notes  don't 
make  sense,  either  because  the  dictator  himself  made  a 
slip  or  because  you  did.  In  this  event  either  get  the  neces- 
sary information  from  the  dictator,  or,  if  you  are  sure 
that  you  know  what  he  meant  to  say,  put  that  down. 
Don't  bother  the  dictator  unless  you  have  to.  But  when 
you  cannot  proceed  intelligently  with  your  work,  have 
the  courage  to  ask  for  the  necessary  information.  What- 
ever you  do,  don't  type  sentences  that  make  no  sense,  even 
though  your  notes  read  that  way.  This  is  an  important 
point,  and  should  be  carefully  noted.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  read  a  sentence  or  two  of  your  notes  at  a  time  to  make 
sure  they  read  all  right  before  you  type  them. 

Misspelling  is  a  common  error  that  causes  much  trouble, 
for  misspelling  means  that  the  letter  will  have  to  be  re- 
typed or  corrections  made  on  the  typewriter,  or  in  ink  by 
the  dictator.  And  there  is  little  or  no  excuse  for  mis- 

33 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

spelling.  It  results  either  from  carelessness  in  typing  or 
from  ignorance.  If  you  aren't  sure  of  how  the  word  is 
spelled  don't  "take  a  chance"  on  it,  but  look  it  up  in  your 
dictionary.  If  your  concern  does  not  furnish  you  with  a 
dictionary,  buy  one,  for  it  will  be  worth  a  good  deal  more 
to  you  than  the  money  you  spend  on  it.  And  buy  a  good 
one — not  a  ten-  or  twenty-five-cent  one,  but  a  good  one, 
in  which  you  can  find  the  words  that  give  you  trouble. 
The  small,  cheap  dictionaries  are  so  much  abridged  or 
so  brief  that  often  you  will  not  find  in  them  the  words 
you  are  looking  up.  [A  complete  discussion  of  spelling  is 
given  in  Chapter  VI,  page  71.] 

Another  error,  but  one  not  so  common  as  misspelling, 
is  the  use  of  a  word  which  sounds  like  the  one  the  dictator 
used,  which  has  the  same  or  nearly  the  same  outline  as 
another  word,  but  which  is  the  wrong  word.  Some  of 
these  words  are  advise  and  advice,  bad  and  bade,  born  and 
borne,  canvas  and  canvass,  formally  and  formerly.  •  [A  list 
of  these  words  is  given  beginning  on  page  82.  You  should 
know  them,  their  different  meanings  and  spellings,  so  that 
you  will  know  which  one  to  use.] 

Why  You  Should  Be  Up  on  Your  Grammar 

It  sometimes  happens  that  the  dictator  in  his  haste,  or 
on  account  of  concentration  on  his  ideas,  or,  it  must  be 
said,  because  of  his  ignorance,  makes  a  grammatical  blun- 
der. He  may  have  used  a  singular  subject  and  followed  it 
with  a  plural  verb,  as  in  the  sentence,  "Each  one  of 
my  five  recommendations  were  approved,"  when  he  should 
have  said,  "Each  one  of  my  five  recommendations  was 
approved."  Or  he  may  have  dictated  a  sentence  that  is 
ambiguous  on  account  of  the  misplacing  of  a  phrase,  as, 
"  Please  fill  out  the  credit  blank  that  you  will  find  inclosed 

34 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

in  ink,"  when  he  should  have  said,  "Please  fill  out  in  ink 
the  credit  blank  that  you  will  find  inclosed."  When  the 
stenographer  notices  such  blunders — and  she  should  al- 
ways be  on  the  watch  for  them — she  should  correct  them. 
But  she  should  be  sure  that  there  is  a  blunder  and  that 
she  knows  how  to  correct  it.  If  she  isn't  sure  she  should 
bring  it  to  the  attention  of  the  dictator.  If  she  watches 
for  and  corrects  mistakes  in  the  grammar  of  the  dictator, 
she  can  often  save  the  concern  from  making  a  poor  im- 
pression upon  its  customer  because  of  the  grammatical 
mistakes  in  the  letter. 

A  sound  knowledge  of  grammar  should  be  part  of  the 
stock  in  trade  of  the  good  stenographer.  The  stenogra- 
pher who  knows  grammar  is  all  the  more  valuable  to  a 
company.  If  you  aren't  sure  of  your  grammar,  brush  up 
on  it.  Buy  a  grammar  and  review  it  carefully.  Some 
day  you  will  be  glad  that  you  did,  for  it  may  bring  you 
the  opportunity  that  you  want. 

Editing  Dictated  Material 

The  stenographer  is  often  troubled  about  the  liberty 
she  can  take  in  editing  dictated  material.  Of  course,  if 
the  mistake  is  a  bad  one,  and  very  obvious,  there  is  no 
question  about  it.  But  at  other  times  the  circumstances 
in  the  case  must  govern  her  actions.  In  general,  it  may 
be  said  the  stenographer's  experience  with  the  dictator, 
and  her  knowledge  of  his  ability  and  wishes,  will  serve  as 
a  guide.  Some  dictators  don't  want  you  to  change  a 
single  word  unless  you  first  consult  them;  others,  and 
they  are  in  the  majority,  are  only  too  glad  to  have  a 
stenographer  who  will  take  the  responsibility  to  see  that 
the  letter  is  clear,  correct  in  English  and  grammar,  and 
free  from  incorrect  statements. 

35 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Paragraphing  the  Letter 

If  the  dictator  does  not  give  you  the  paragraphing,  it 
is  necessary  to  use  your  own  judgment  about  it,  for  sel- 
dom, except  in  very  short  letters,  should  the  letter  be 
solidly  typed,  with  no  paragraphs.  This  fact  means  that 
you  should  know  how  to  break  a  letter  into  paragraphs. 
The  general  rule  is  that  each  idea  should  be  given  a 
separate  paragraph.  Accordingly,  when  you  are  transcrib- 
ing your  notes,  begin  a  new  paragraph  whenever  you  come 
upon  a  new  idea  or  a  break  in  the  thought.  It  might  be 
advisable,  also,  to  read  and  study  the  chapters  on  para- 
graph structure  which  you  will  find  in  any  book  on 
English  rhetoric. 

Punctuation  and  Capitalization 

The  subject  of  punctuation  and  capitalization  is  dis- 
cussed in  detail  in  Chapter  VIII,  beginning  on  page  133. 
At  this  point,  therefore,  it  is  only  necessary  to  remind 
you  of  the  importance  of  attention  to  these  matters  when 
you  are  transcribing. 

Always  Read  Over  Your  Work 

After  you  have  finished  transcribing  the  letter,  read  it 
over  very  carefully  before  you  take  it  out  of  the  machine, 
and  try  to  find  any  errors  that  you  may  have  made.  It 
is  better  to  make  corrections  while  the  letter  is  in  the 
machine,  for  you  are  then  assured  of  good  alignment  when 
you  make  the  correction.  Read  for  sense,  but  watch  the 
grammar,  punctuation,  capitalization,  and  spelling.  Be 
especially  careful  that  you  have  not  transposed  numbers. 
It  is  much  better  for  you  to  find  the  error  on  yourself  than 

36 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

to  have  the  dictator  find  it.  At  this  time  bear  in  mind 
the  fact  that  accuracy  and  correctness  are  the  most 
valuable  qualities  of  your  work.  Be  sure  that  your  letters 
are  correct  before  you  hand  them  in  to  be  signed. 

If  you  have  been  given  some  copying  work  to  do,  always 
compare  your  finished  work  with  the  original.  There  is 
no  excuse  for  errors  in  copying. 

As  you  finish  each  letter  put  any  inclosures  that  bo- 
long  with  the  letter  into  the  addressed  envelope  so  that 
you  won't  forget  them.  It  is  a  dangerous  practice  to 
leave  this  matter  until  all  the  letters  are  done.  By  that 
time  you  may  have  forgotten  about  the  inclosure. 

The  Appearance  of  Your  Work 

The  second  quality  by  which  your  work  is  judged  is 
that  of  appearance.  Your  work  should  be  clean  and  neat; 
it  should  have  good  mechanical  make-up,  and  in  general 
should  make  a  good  appearance.  In  these  days  business 
concerns  are  paying  more  and  more  attention  to  the 
appearance  of  the  letters  that  go  out  and  represent  them 
to  their  customers.  Hence,  the  stenographer  who  can  get 
out  good-looking  letters  is  in  greater  demand  than  ever 
before.  The  appearance  of  the  letter  is  a  very  important 
matter,  remember  that.  Try  to  make  your  letters  as 
good-looking  as  you  can.  Be  proud  of  your  work.  Bear 
in  mind  that  your  ability  is  judged  to  a  great  extent  by 
the  appearance  of  your  letters  and  that  you  are  responsible 
for  the  appearance  of  your  letters. 

Making  Erasures  and  Changes 

First  of  all,  the  letter  should  be  neat  and  clean-looking. 
There  should  be  no  unsightly  erasures,  smudges,  or  other 
4  37 

47085 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

marks  indicating  slovenly  work.  Erasures  seem  to  cause 
most  of  the  trouble.  Of  course,  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
type  all  letters  perfectly;  but  try  to  make  as  few  mistakes 
as  possible.  Again,  it  is  better  to  go  a  little  more  slowly 
and  do  better  work. 

Whenever  it  is  necessary  to  make  an  erasure  make  it 
first  in  the  letter,  being  sure,  however,  to  place  a  piece  of 
heavy  paper  between  the  carbon  paper  and  the  carbon 
copy,  so  that  your  erasing  won't  smudge  up  the  latter. 
In  making  the  erasure  use  an  erasure  shield,  so  that  you 
won't  erase  letters  or  marks  other  than  those  you  wish  to 
erase,  and  make  the  erasure  lightly  and  neatly,  but  still 
do  it  completely.  Brush  and  blow  away  any  particles  of 
paper  or  rubber  that  remain  on  the  letter  sheet,  so  that 
when  you  strike  over  the  erased  spot  the  new  letters  or 
marks  will  be  neat,  and  also  so  that  these  particles  will  not 
get  into  and  clog  the  typewriter  keys.  Then  make  a 
neat  erasure  on  the  carbon  copy. 

Sometimes  you  do  not  detect  the  error  until  after  you 
have  taken  the  letter  from  the  machine.  In  this  case 
make  your  erasures  before  you  put  the  letter  back  into 
the  machine.  Be  sure  that  the  carbon  copy  is  in  its 
proper  position,  and  that,  when  you  strike  the  key  to  put 
in  a  letter  or  word,  the  proper  alignment  is  secured.  Be 
careful  of  these  things,  for  careless  work  in  these  matters 
is  very  noticeable.  The  same  is  true  when  the  dictator 
has  indicated  on  the  letter  certain  corrections,  additions, 
or  changes.  Try  to  make  them  so  that  they  will  not  be 
noticeable.  Here  is  where  your  skill  in  operating  the  type- 
writer is  put  to  a  real  test.  But  when  you  do  make  these 
corrections,  changes,  or  additions,  be  sure  to  make  them 
on  the  carbon  copy  also,  in  order  that  the  copy  will  be  a 
"true"  copy. 

Never  strike  one  letter  over  another  except  in  such 

38 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

cases  as  striking  "h"  over  "n,"  and  "p"  over  "o."  Other- 
wise the  work  doesn't  look  right.  It  is  better  to  erase 
and  make  a  good  job  of  it  while  you  are  at  it. 

Keep  Your  Machine  in  Good  Condition 

Even  a  good  workman  can't  do  good  work  with  poor 
tools.  Nor  can  you  do  good  work  if  your  machine  isn't 
in  good  working  condition.  The  responsibility  of  seeing 
that  it  is  in  good  order  rests  upon  you.  Of  course,  if  there 
should  be  something  seriously  wrong  with  it,  such  as 
letters  out  of  alignment,  you  aren't  expected  to  be  able 
to  repair  it,  but  you  are  expected  to  take  steps  to  have  it 
put  in  repair  as  soon  as  possible.  Bring  the  matter  to 
the  attention  of  the  chief  stenographer,  or,  if  you  are  in 
a  small  office,  ask  your  employer  for  permission  to  have 
the  repairs  made. 

Keep  the  type  letters  clean.  The  moment  you  notice 
that  a  letter  is  clogged,  stop  your  work  and  clean  that 
letter.  At  least  once  a  week  you  should  give  the  faces  of 
the  type  and  the  whole  machine  a  good  cleaning.  If  you 
don't  know  how  to  clean  and  oil  your  machine,  read  the 
printed  instructions  that  the  manufacturer  of  your 
machine  will  be  glad  to  give  you.  In  oiling  the  machine 
be  careful  that  there  is  no  superfluous  oil  left  on  the 
machine,  for  this  oil  will  make  oil  spots  on  your  paper 
and  will  gather  dust.  Wipe  off  the  machine  carefully 
with  a  cloth  after  you  have  oiled  it. 

If  your  paper  slips  and  doesn't  move  with  the  roller 
or  platen,  put  in  another  sheet  with  it.  If  it  still  slips, 
use  emery  paper  to  roughen  the  platen  so  that  it  will  grip 
the  paper. 

A  worn-out  ribbon  is  often  the  cause  of  poor-looking 
work.  The  moment  that  you  notice  that  the  typing  looks 

39 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

faint  or  "spotty,"  either  "turn"  the  ribbon  or  get  a  new 
one. 

Take  good  care  of  your  machine  and  it  will  do  good 
work  for  you.  This  suggestion  is  given,  not  because  your 
care  of  the  machine  may  make  it  last  longer,  but  because 
your  care  will  mean  that  your  letters  will  be  better-looking 
— and  that's  what  you  want. 

Don't  Dispute  with  the  Dictator 

Sometimes  the  dictator  may  call  you  back  and  tell  you 
that  you  made  him  appear  to  say  certain  things  in  his 
letters  that  he  didn't  say.  Don't  bridle  under  this  criti- 
cism and  retort  that  that  was  what  he  said  according  to 
your  notes.  Your  notes  may  be  incorrect.  Even  if  the 
dictator  is  in  the  wrong  let  him  have  his  way.  You  gain 
nothing  by  disputing  his  statements.  If  you  gain  a  repu- 
tation with  him  for  being  accurate,  he  will  soon  realize 
that  you  were  right  in  these  matters. 

Taking  Care  of  Your  Notebooks 

As  you  finish  transcribing  each  page,  draw  a  cross 
through  it  or  indicate  in  some  way  that  its  contents  have 
been  typed. 

After  you  have  filled  your  notebook  write  your  name 
on  the  cover,  and  also  note  on  it  the  dates  covered  by  the 
contents,  as  January  5-January  18,  1921;  then  file  it. 
In  case  of  any  questioning  of  the  correctness  of  a  letter 
you  can  then  easily  find  the  notes  of  the  letter. 

Office  Supplies 

Make  sure  that  you  have  in  your  desk  adequate  office 
supplies,  such  as  pencils,  the  various  types  of  letterheads 

40 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

and  envelopes,  notebooks,  carbon  paper,  and  second 
sheets.  You  should  have  at  least  a  day's  supply  of 
such  things,  so  that  you  will  not  have  to  interrupt 
your  work  while  you  are  getting  enough  supplies  to  go 
on  with. 


Chapter  V 

The  Mechanical  Make-up  of  the  Letter 
Know  and  Use  Good  Mechanical  Make-up 

THE  appearance  of  your  letters  depends  to  a  large 
extent  upon  the  mechanical  make-up  you  use.  By 
mechanical  make-up  is  meant  such  matters  as  placing  the 
letter  properly  on  the  letter  sheet  so  that  the  margins 
will  be  right,  the  spacing  of  the  letter,  the  observance  of 
good  usage  with  respect  to  titles,  to  forms  of  the  saluta- 
tion and  of  the  complimentary  close,  and  similar  points 
that  often  cause  worry.  The  competent  stenographer 
should  be  well  informed  on  these  matters,  for  such  knowl- 
edge will  help  much  in  getting  out  good-looking  letters, 
and  will  insure  that  the  form  used  conforms  with  correct 
usage. 

In  some  offices  the  stenographer  is  provided  with  a 
standardized  form  and  arrangement  of  a  letter,  which 
she  is  asked  to  follow,  so  that  all  letters  going  out  of  that 
office  will  have  the  same  kind  of  mechanical  rnake-up. 
This  fact  does  not  imply  that  the  way  you  learned  to 
arrange  and  type  your  letters  is  incorrect;  it  merely  means 
that  the  office  wants  all  its  letters  to  be  standardized  in 
appearance  and  form.  If  you  are  provided  with  such  in- 
structions and  rules,  you  should,  of  course,  follow  them 
out  fully.  If  you  are  not  so  provided  you  may  be  in- 

42 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

terested  in  the  following  points  that  will  help  make  your 
letters  present  a  good  appearance  and  that  will  inform 
you  as  to  what  is  considered  correct  usage. 

Placing  the  Letter  on  the  Page 

Before  you  start  typing  the  letter  you  should  first 
glance  over  your  notes  and  get  a  pretty  accurate  estimate 
of  the  amount  of  material  in  the  letter.  This  step  is 
necessary  if  you  wish  to  have  the  proper  margins — and 
good  margins  help  the  appearance  of  your  letter  a  great 
deal.  Some  stenographers  always  begin  their  letters  the 
same  distance  from  the  top  of  the  sheet  and  the  same  dis- 
tance in  from  the  edge.  This  practice  will  mean  that  the 
letter  consisting  of  only  three  or  four  lines  will  not  look 
right,  for  the  typed  matter  will  be  too  near  the  top.  If 
you  find  that  the  letter  contains  only  a  small  amount  of 
material,  begin  your  letter  lower  down  on  the  sheet  [this 
means  the  date,  too],  and  leave  a  wider  margin  at  the  left. 
The  right-hand  margin  should  be  the  same  as  the  left- 
hand  one.  The  margin  at  the  foot  of  the  letter  should  be 
the  biggest. 

Sometimes  it  is  advisable,  in  very  short  letters,  to  double 
space  between  the  lines  of  the  address  and  also  between 
the  lines  in  the  body  of  the  letter. 

If  the  letter  is  longer,  begin  nearer  the  top  and  make 
your  margins  smaller.  But  never  crowd  the  letter  so  that 
there  is  less  than  one  inch  between  the  signature  and  the 
bottom  edge  of  the  sheet,  and  never  make  your  side  mar- 
gins less  than  three-quarters  of  an  inch.  It  is  much 
better  to  go  to  a  second  sheet.  But  if  you  do  go  to  a 
second  sheet,  do  not  have  only  the  complimentary  close, 
like  "Yours  truly,"  and  the  signature  on  that  sheet. 
There  should  be  at  least  three  or  four  lines  of  typing  on  it; 

43 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANIA  I, 


THE  ^VA\S  PRtfPOaS  CO/flPAIZY 

5O  CMVRCM  STREET      ....     REWYORK. 

Hoyember  16,   1920. 


John  tfananajcer, 

8th  Street  and  Broadway, 

NOT  York  City. 


Attention  of  Superintendent  of  Building 

This  letter  will  ierre  to  introduce  to  you  Ur.  R.  A.  Holne«  of  the  Manhattan 
Sxport  Coap«.ny  «ho  »isies  to  impect  toe  condition  of  the  wood  flooring  on 
t.;a  eiijhto  floor  of  t..e  new  builiinn,  which  our  conpany  treated  eeroral  jreare 
ajo.    3e,  »ioU  appreciate  your  courtesy  in  tiia  natter. 

Very  truly  your«, 

SiE  SAUUS  PS03UCTS  COUPA2TT 


7.  S, 


EXAMPLE   OF   POOR   PLACING    OF    MATTEU   ON   THE   LETTER   SHEET 

44 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


THE  S\VA\5  PROPOCTS  COMPART 

SO  C/WRC/V  STREET      -      -      -     -     KBWYORlt 

NoTWber  16,   1920. 


John  Wanama>er, 

8th  Street  and  Broadway, 

HOT  York  City. 

Oentlomen: 

Attention  of  Superintendent  of  Gliding. 

Holmes  of  the  Manhattan  Sxport  Company  «ho  wishes  to 
inspect  the  condition  of  tne  wood  flooring  on  the 
eighth  floor  of  the  new  builiinn,  »hich  our  conpaay 
treated  several  years  ago.     We  shall  appreciate  your 
.courtesy  in  this  matte- 
Very  truly  yours, 
THE  SAWliS  PRODUCTS  COtPAUT 


F.  S.   Injriihan  -  C.  F. 


EXAMPLE    OF    BETTER    PJLACING    OF    MATTER    ON    THE    LETTER    SHEET 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

otherwise  the  second  sheet  won't  look  right.  Try  to  plan 
out  these  things  in  advance.  And  be  especially  careful 
of  these  points  when  you  are  approaching  the  foot  of  the 
letter.  You  must  then  decide  whether  or  not  you  have 
enough  space  left  to  complete  the  letter  on  that  sheet  and 
still  leave  a  good  margin,  or  whether  you  will  have  to  go 
to  a  second  sheet.  All  this  is  a  matter  of  judgment  and 
experience  on  your  part. 

Of  course,  it  is  impossible  to  make  the  right-hand  edge 
of  your  typed  letter  exactly  even,  as  you  can  do  with  the 
left-hand  edge,  but  you  can  'at  least  try  not  to  have  it 
look  too  jagged  and  irregular.  Be  particularly  careful 
in  typing  the  end  of  your  first  line,  for  the  end  of  the  last 
word  in  this  line  determines  the  imaginary  margin  line 
that  you  are  trying  to  keep  for  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
typed  matter. 

The  Parts  of  the  Mechanical  Make-up  of  a  Letter 

For  the  purpose  of  discussion,  the  mechanical  make-up 
of  the  letter  may  be  divided  into  six  parts:  the  heading, 
the  inside  address,  the  salutation,  the  body  of  the  letter, 
the  complimentary  close,  and  the  signature.  In  reading 
what  is  said  about  these  matters,  please  remember  that 
this  book  attempts  to  give  you  examples  of  what  is  con- 
sidered correct  usage.  Other  forms  are  not  necessarily 
incorrect. 

The  Heading 

1.  Since  you  are  provided  with  printed  letterheads, 
the  only  part  of  the  heading  that  you  will  type  is  the  date. 
This  is  sometimes  placed  in  the  center,  or  on  the  date  line 
printed  on  the  sheet.  The  most  common  practice,  how- 
ever, is  to  place  it  at  the  right,  below  the  heading.  If 

46 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

you  place  it  at  the  right,  remember  before  you  do  so  that 
its  position  depends  upon  the  length  of  the  letter.  [See 
"Placing  the  Letter  on  the  Page,"  page  43.]  Remember 
also  that  the  last  figure  in  the  date  is  often  used  to  deter- 
mine the  imaginary  line  which  you  try  to  keep  at  the 
right  as  the  margin  line  of  your  typing. 

2.  The  date  should  consist  of  the  month,  the  number  of 
the  day,  and  the  number  of  the  year.     Do  not  use  a  num- 
ber for  the  month,  and  do  not  abbreviate  the  year. 

Wrong:  4-8-'21 

4/8/'21 
Right:    April  8,  1921 

3.  Although  on  the  face  of  it  the  use  of  the  number  of 
the  month  and  of  the  year  seems  to  be  more  efficient  than 
the  use  of  the  month  written  out,  nevertheless  the  reader 
is  often  confused  in  trying  to  find  out  exactly  what  month 
is  meant.     In  many  European  countries,  4-8-'21  would 
be  read  "the  4th  of  August,  1921,"  instead  of  "April  8, 
1921." 

4.  In  ordinary  business   letters   the    numbers   in   the 
date  should  not  be  written  out  in  full,  as  May  twenty-four, 
Nineteen  hundred  twenty-one.     In  certain  cases,  however, 
such  as  in  official  letters,  the  date  is  spelled  out  to  secure 
a  greater  formality. 

5.  The  number  of  the  day  does  not  need  to  be  followed 
by  d,  nd,  rd,  st,  or  th. 

Incorrect:  May  5th,  1921 
Correct:     May  5,  1921 

NOTE. — This  rule  holds  good  when  referring,  in  the 
body  of  the  letter,  to  the  date.     It  is  permissible,  how- 
ever, to  use  such  forms  as  "the  10th  of  May." 
47 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 
The  Inside  Address 

1.  The  name  and  address  of  the  person  or  group  to 
whom  the  letter  is  directed  is  placed  at  the  left-hand  side 
of  the  page,  below  the  heading.     Its  distance  below  the 
printed  heading  depends  upon  the  arrangement  of  the 
matter  in  the  body  of  the  letter  [see  page  43].     When 
"window"  envelopes  are  used,  however,  it  is  necessary 
to   type   the  inside  address   within   a   prescribed   space. 
These  two  forms,  the  straight  edge  and  the  indented,  are 
used: 

The  Smith  Hardware  Company,  Inc., 
35  Broadway, 
New  York  City. 

[Or] 

The  Smith  Hardware  Company,  Inc., 
85  Broadway, 

New  York  City. 

2.  According  to  custom  and  courtesy,  some  title  should 
always  be  used  with  the  name  of  the  person  or  persons 
addressed;   but  no  title  is  used  before  names  of  corpora- 
tions (United  States  Rubber  Company),  nor  before  part- 
nerships with  an  impersonal  style  (Electric  Novelty  Manu- 
facturing Company).    Moreover,  it  is  now  good  practice 
to  omit  the  title  (Messrs.)  before  the  style  of  a  partnership 
that  contains  the  names  of  the  individuals   (Meyer   & 
Ayres).     The  commonest  titles  used  in  business  are  as 
follows:  Mr.,  Messrs,,  Mrs.,  Miss,  Dr.,  Rev.,  Hon.,  Prof., 
Esq. 

3.  In  addressing  a  person,  always  use  whatever  title 
the  person  may  possess;  for  example,  Dr.,  Rev.,  Lieutenant. 

4.  Sometimes  a  woman,  whose  letter  is  being  answered, 
will  have  signed  her  name  without  the  title  Mrs.  or  Miss 

48 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

before  it.  In  such  an  instance  try  to  ascertain  whether 
she  is  married  or  unmarried,  so  that  you  can  use  the 
proper  title.  If  you  cannot  find  out,  assume  that  she  is 
unmarried,  and  use  the  title  Miss.  Note  that  the  title 
Miss  is  not  now  considered  an  abbreviation  and  is  there- 
fore not  to  be  followed  with  a  period. 

5.  The  title  Esq.  (Esquire)  follows  the  name  of  the  man 
addressed.     It  has  practically  gone  out  of  general  use  in 
the  United  States,  although  it  is  still  commonly  used  by 
banks  and  lawyers,  and  in  addressing  a  man  residing  in 
the  British  Empire.     When  it  is  used  it  should  not  be 
used  together  with  Mr. 

Wrong:  Mr.  Howard  T.  Maxwell,  Esq. 
Right:    Howard  T.  Maxwell,  Esq. 

[Or,  preferably] 
Mr.  Howard  T.  Maxwell 

6.  The  title  Messrs,  is  an  abbreviation  of  Messieurs. 
It  is  a  common  error  to  write  it  Messers.  or  Mess.     This 
title  should  not  be  used  in  addressing  corporations  or  in 
addressing  partnerships  with  an  impersonal  style  (name) ; 
and  it  need  not  be  used  with  other  partnership  styles. 

Wrong:  Messrs.  American  Chain  Company,  Inc. 
Right:    American  Chain  Company,  Inc. 

Wrong:  Messrs.  The  II.  K.  McCann  Company 
Right:    The  H.  K.  McCann  Company 

Wrong:  Messrs.  Cluett,  Peabody  &  Co.,  Inc. 
Right:    Cluett,  Peabody  &  Co.,  Inc. 

Right:    Messrs.  Meyer  &  Ayers  [a  partnership] 

[Or] 
Right:    Meyer  &  Ayers 

49 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


K.  &  G.  WIRELESS  SUPPLY  CO. 

MANUFACTURERS    OF 

DEPENDABLE    APPARATUS 

1M.IU  CHAMKJU  STRUT  NEW  YORK  CITY 


Noveaber  18,  1920. 


Montgomery  a  Smith, 

415  North  Perry  Street. 

P*ori<i.  Illinois. 


V*  thank  you  for  your  cheek  for  t49.SO  offered  ui  in  payment 
of  our  invoice  of  November  1,   1920. 

Upon  comparing  Vie  amount  of  your  check  with  the  amount  of 

Thie  deduction  was  probably  caused  by  an  oversight  on  t.ie  part  of 
your  bookkeeper,   for  our  terns,   as  you  know,  are  1)1  discount  for 
payment  within  10  days.     As  payment  was  not  nade  until  the  dis- 
count period  had  elv**d,  we  are  unable  to  alia*  the  discount  of 
1*. 

The  sum  involved  is  insignificant  and  we  should  gladly  charge, 

our  customers  the  sons  fair  and  square  treatment.     This  treatnent 
cannot  be  fair  and  square  unless  the  billing  terms  are  lived  up 
to  by  everyone.     Of  course  you  understand  that  if  we  began  malting 
exceptions  in  the  natter  of  discounts,  t..o  rule  would  soon  break 
down  entirely. 

«e  know  that  when  this  utter  is  called  to  your  attention 
you  will  see  toe  fairness  of  our  position.    We  are  returning 
your  check  enclosed  and  ask  that  you  send  us  your  corrected  check 
for  tSO  by  return  nail  to  cover  this  invoice. 

Very  truly  yours, 

X.  a  0.  WIRELESS  S'JPPL?  CO. 


End. 

O.S.C.  -  C.r. 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  BUSINESS   LETTER    (INDENTED   FORM) 

50 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


K.  &  G.  WIRELESS  SUPPLY  CO. 

MANUFACTURERS    OF 

DEPENDABLE    APPARATUS 

ISO. 152  CHAMBERS  STREET  KEW  YORK  CITY 

TCLXTHONE.   BARCLAY  1262 

Hovenber  IB.  1920. 


Montgomery  4  Smith, 
Peoria,   Illinois. 
Gentlemen: 

We  think  you  for  your  check  for  449.50  offered  us  in  payment  o? 
our  invoice  of  November  1,  1920. 

Dpon  comparing  the  amount  of  your  check  with  the  amount  of  our 

'deduction  was  probably  caused  by  an  oversight  on  the  part  of  your 
bookkeeper,    for  our  terms,   as  you  know,   are  1%  discount  for  pay- 
period  had  elapsed,  we  are  unable  to'allow  the  discount  of  l£. 
The  sum  involved  is  insignif  icant  and  we  should  gladly  charge 
our  customers  the  same  fair  and  square  treatment.     This  treatment 
to  by  everyone.     Of  course  you  understand  that  if  we  began  making 
.down  entirely. 


C'leck  enclosed  and  ask  that  you  send  us  your  corrected  check  for 
J50  by  return  mail  to  cover  this  invoice. 

Very  truly  yours, 

K.  t  0.  WIRELESS  SOPPUT  CO. 


Encl. 

O.S.G.  -  C.F, 


ARBANGEMENT    OF   BUSINESS    LETTER    (BLOCK    FORM) 

51 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

7.  Do  not  use  Mr.  with  the  incorporated  name  of  an 
individual. 

Wrong:  Mr.  James  Butler,  Inc.  [a  corporation] 
Right:    James  Butler,  Inc. 

Wrong:  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Edison,  Inc.  [a  corporation] 
Right:    Thomas  A.  Edison,  Inc. 

8.  Such  business  titles  as  President,  V ice-President,  and 
Cashier  follow  the  name  of  the  person  addressed.     They 
are  usually  placed  on  the  same  line  with  the  name.     It  is 
advisable  not  to  abbreviate  such  titles. 

Mr.  George  B.  Cortelyou,  President, 
Consolidated  Gas  Company, 
New  York  City. 

NOTE. — A  title  that  consists  of  more  than  two  words 
may  be  written  on  a  separate  line  between  the  name  of 
the  individual  and  the  name  of  the  group. 

Right:  Professor  James  Melvin  Lee, 

Head  of  the  Department  of  Journalism, 
New  York  University, 
New  York  City. 

9.  Initials  indicating  degrees,  societies,  or  other  honors 
acquired  by  an  individual  may  follow  his  name.     Care 
should  be  taken  to  see  that  they  are  not  used  when  they 
are  suggested  by  the  title  of  respect  preceding  his  name. 
Similarly  avoid  using  the  initials  of  a  succession  of  uni- 
versity degrees  unless  they  are  in  different  fields;  use  only 
the  initials  of  the  highest  degree. 

Wrong:  Dr.  Tasker  Howard,  M.D. 
Right:    Dr.  Tasker  Howard. 
Right:    Tasker  Howard,  M.D. 
52 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  Prof.  Lee  Galloway,  A.B.,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 
Right:    Prof.  Lee  Galloway,  Ph.D. 

But, 
Right:    Dean  Joseph  French  Johnson,  D.C.S.,  LL.D. 

10.  Do  not  abbreviate  the  first  name  of  the  person 
addressed,  even  though  he  does  it  in  his  signature;    in 
other  words,  do  not  abbreviate  Joseph  to  Jos.,  Robert  to 
Rob't,  William  to  Wm.     When  the  first  name  is  abbrevi- 
ated in  the  firm  style,  the  same  form  should  be  used  in 
addressing  that  group,  as  Robt.  H.  Ingersoll  &  Bro.     The 
same  rule  applies  to  Brother,  Brothers,  etc.     Any  words 
that  are  abbreviated  in  the  printed  name  of  the  concern 
addressed  may  be  abbreviated  in  addressing  that  concern. 
In  fact,  always  follow  the  identical  form  used  by  the 
business  house  addressed.     For  examples  note  the  use  of 
the  ampersand   (&)   in  Cosden   &  Company,  the  article 
"The"  in  The  H.  K.  McCann  Company,  the  hyphen  in 
The  Fierce-Arrow  Motor  Car  Co.     Also  note  that  Co.  is 
not  spelled  out  in  The  Century  Co.,  and  that  McMahon  & 
Co.  is  spelled  with  Me  and  not  with  Mac.     Always  make 
sure  that  the  name  of  the  person  or  group  is  correctly 
spelled. 

11.  In    addressing    officials    of    governments    and    of 
churches,  care  should  be  taken  to  use  the  title  of  respect 
which  custom  has  prescribed.    Most  of  these  titles  should 
not  be  used  with  the  last  name  alone,  as  Rev.  Jones,  Rever- 
end Jones,  Honorable  Smith.     The  following  are  among 
the  more  important  titles: 

President  of  the  United  States —  The  President  [Name  not  required .] 
Cabinet  Officers — Honorable 

Honorable  Newton  D.  Baker. 
Secretary  of  War, 
Washington,  D.  C. 
R  53 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Senators — Senator  or  Honorable 

Senator  Gilbert  Hitchcock, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

[Or] 

Honorable  Gilbert  Hitchcock, 
U.  S.  Senate, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Congressmen — Honorable 
Governors  of  States — His  Excellency 

His  Excellency,  Alfred  H.  Smith, 

Albany,  N.  Y. 

Mayors — Hit  Honor  or  Honorable 
Other  Public  Officials— Honorable 

Clergymen — Reverend  or  Rev.    [Use  abbreviation  only  with  full 
name.] 

Dean  (ecclesiastical) — Very  Reverend 
Bishop — Right  Reverend 
Archbishop — Moat  Reverend 
Cardinal — Hit  Eminence 
Pope — His  Holiness 

NOTE. — These  and  similar  titles  are  used  comparatively 
little  in  business  communications;  their  chief  use  is  in 
official  correspondence.  But  note  that  the  form  of  address 
used  when  writing  on  a  business  matter  is  not  always  the 
same  as  that  used  when  writing  on  an  official  matter. 
For  example,  in  writing  to  President  Wilson  on  a  business 
matter,  the  correct  form  of  address  is: 

Honorable  Woodrow  Wilson, 
White  House, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Sir: 

54 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

In  writing  to  him  on  an  official  matter,  the  correct  form 
of  address  is: 

The  President, 
White  House, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Sir: 

12.  Honorable  and  Reverend,  when  used  as  parts  of 
titles  in  the  address,  are  capitalized.  Note  that  they  are 
to  be  followed  by  (1)  the  Christian  name,  or  the  initials, 
or  the  title  Mr.  or  Dr.,  and  (2)  the  surname. 

Wrong:  Reverend  Anderson 
Right:    Reverend  George  Anderson 

[Or] 
Reverend  G.  A.  Anderson 

[Or] 
Reverend  Dr.  Anderson 

NOTE  1. — When  Honorable  and  Reverend  are  used  as 
parts  of  titles  in  the  body  of  the  letter  they  are  capitalized, 
preceded  by  the,  and  followed  by  (1)  the  Christian  name, 
or  the  initials,  or  the  title  Mr.  or  Dr.,  and  (2)  the  surname. 

Wrong:  The  meeting  was  addressed  by  Honorable  Penrose. 
Right:    The   meeting   was   addressed   by   the   Honorable  Boies 
Penrose. 

NOTE  2. — When  Professor  is  used  as  part  of  a  title  in 
the  body  of  the  letter  it  should  not  be  abbreviated  to  Prof. 
unless  it  is  followed  by  (1)  the  Christian  name,  or  the 
initials,  and  (2)  the  surname. 

Wrong:  Write  to  Prof.  Bacon  for  his  opinion. 
Right :    Write  to  Prof.  C.  F.  Bacon  for  his  opinion. 
Right:    Write  to  Professor  Bacon  for  his  opinion. 
55 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

13.  In  official  letters  the  inside  address  is  placed  in  the 
lower  left-hand  part  of  the  letter,  slightly  below  the  sig- 
nature, but  beginning  at  the  left-hand  margin. 

14.  Neither  No.   nor  #  is   needed    before   the   street 
number. 

Wrong:  #  33  West  Main  St.;  No.  425  Western  Ave. 
Right:     33  West  Main  St.;  4525  Western  Ave. 

15.  To  prevent  confusion,  numeral  names  of  avenues 
and  streets  should  be  spelled  out  unless  preceded  by  a 
compass  direction.     The   most  common  practice  is   to 
abbreviate  Avenue  and  Street. 

Examples:  124  Fifth  Ave.;  not  124  5th  Ave. 
348  Twelfth  St.;  not  348  12th  St. 
98  East  22nd  Street 

16.  It  is  permissible  to  omit  punctuation  marks  at  the 
ends  of  the  lines;     but    if    the    last   word    of    any  line 
is  an  abbreviation,  like  Co.  or  Ave.,  the  period  is  retained. 

17.  Many  business  houses  do  not  permit  the  use  of  the 
word  city  alone  in  the  inside  address,  as  shown  below,  for 
they  feel  that  such  use  cheapens  the  appearance  of  the 
letter. 

Mr.  John  Andrews, 
415  Seventh  Ave., 
City. 

Perhaps  a  better  reason  against  its  use  is  the  fact  that 
the  postmasters  of  most  of  the  large  cities  are  opposed  to 
such  use.  From  experience  they  have  learned  that  let- 
ters so  addressed  often  go  astray  or  are  delayed  in  de- 
livery because  they  were  not  mailed  in  the  city,  but  were 

carried  home  to  a  suburban  town  and  mailed  there. 

56 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

The  Salutation 

1.  The  complimentary  address  at  the  beginning  of  a 
letter  is  called  the  salutation.     In  business  letters  it  is 
practically  limited  to  four  forms :  Dear  Sir,  Gentlemen,  Dear 
Madam,  and  Ladies  or  Mesdames.     Dear  Madam  is  used 
in  addressing  a  woman,  whether  married  or  unmarried. 
More  formality  is  shown  by  the  use  of  the  salutation 
My  dear  Sir  or  My  dear  Madam.     Note  that  the  first  letter 
of  the  second  word  is  not  a  capital.     In  exceptional  cases, 
as  in  writing  to  government  officials  on  official  matters, 
the  plain  and  highly  formal  Sir  is  used.     If  the  writer  is 
personally  acquainted  with  the  addressee  or  has  corre- 
sponded with  him  before,  he  may  use  such  a  salutation 
as,  My  dear  Mr.  Fox  or  Dear  Mr.  Fox. 

2.  The  salutation  should  be  written  directly  below  the 
inside  address  and  the  same  distance  from  the  edge  of  the 
paper  as  the  first  line  of  the  inside  address.     It  should 
always  occupy  a  line  by  itself. 

Brooks  Brothers, 
Madison  Ave.  and  44th  St., 
New  York  City. 

Gentlemen: 

3.  Never  use  the  salutations  Dear  Friend,   My  dear 
Friend,  and  Dear  Miss. 

4.  Do  not  use  the  abbreviation  Messrs,  as  a  salutation. 

Wrong:  Rogers  Peet  Company, 
New  York  City. 

Messrs. : 

Right:    Rogers  Peet  Company, 
^New  York  City. 

Gentlemen : 

57 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

5.  Dear  Sirs  is  still  used  by  some  banking  houses  and 
other  conservative  institutions,  but  seems  to  be  practically 
obsolete  elsewhere. 

6.  In  addressing  such  firms  as  John   Wanamaker  or 
James  Butler,  Inc.,  the  correct  salutation  is  Gentlemen, 
because  these  firms  are  corporations.     This  is  the  correct 
form  for  any  firm  composed  of  men. 

7.  Avoid  such  abbreviated  forms  as  D'r,  Gents,  S'r. 

8.  The  salutation  is  followed  by  a  colon  or  a  comma, 
never  by  a  semicolon.     The  dash  is  unnecessary. 

9.  In  official  letters  the  salutation  is  Sir,  Sirs,  or  some- 
times Gentlemen. 

The  Body  of  the  Letter 

1.  If  you  indent  your  paragraphs,  all  of  them  should 
be  indented  an  equal  distance  from  the  margin,  determined 
by  the  first  letter  in  the  first  line  of  the  inside  address — 
say  ten  spaces,  or  one  inch — regardless  of  the  length  of  the 
salutation.    It  is  also  wise  to  double  space  between  para- 
graphs.    Many  business  houses  use  no  indention,  but 
begin  each  paragraph  flush  with  the  margin.     In  this  case, 
paragraphs   are   indicated   by   double   or   triple   spacing 
between  the  paragraphs.    In  the  illustrations  on  pages  50 
and  51  may  be  seen  the  correct  forms  of  a  typewritten 
letter. 

2.  Only  one  side  of  the  paper  should  be  used.     When 
more  than  one  sheet  is  necessary  to  contain  the  message, 
plain  sheets  without  the  letterhead,  but  of  the  same  size 
and  material  as  the  letterhead,  should  be  used.     At  the 
top  of  these  additional  sheets  is  placed  the  number  of  the 
sheet  and  the  initials  or  the  name  of  the  firm  or  person  to 
whom  the  letter  is  sent,  as 

The  Eastern  Manufacturing  Company  2. 

58 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


Ideal  Co  coa.fi  Oh 

HIGH  GRADE  CHOCOLATE  SPECIALTIC 

"-"*ii    '  IT**8! 


olate  Company 


QOORS-CO* 


Kove'aber  10.  192Q. 


Miss  H.  R.  Stenographer 
fcl  Broad-.vay, 
New  York  City 


Dtar  Madaa: 

Plftse  note 
with 


te   that  each  lin?  of  the  insiie  adlr^se  begins  flush 
typing  e&rgin  and  that  ther?  are  single   spc-ces  b^twsen 
Ur.fS.     A  cotrrLa  should  end  each  Una  with  the  eicecption  of  the 
las'-  line,   next  coras  a  double  space  betveen  the  inside  «dc'.re»3 
end  it*  stlutatlon  (Dear  llaiam) ,  which  is  followed  by  a  oolon(  0  . 

After  you  h«ve  typed,  the  salutation,  double  space,  &ai  begin  your 
first  pirn^rtpi.  flush' with  the  c£.r£in.     Double  space  bet.veen 
paragri-phs 

Oocd  leokins  leiter*  are  generally  the  result  of  havir.g  the  typed 
bony' of  the  letter  well  placed  on  the  page       Glance  over  your 
notes,  accordingly,  before  you  start  to   type  the   letter  anl  *udse 
how  Ion,-,,  u.t   letter  .nil  be       If,   for  instc--.ce,  you  see  that  the 
letter  contists  of  only  one  short  paragraph,  begin  the  inaise 


Since    the  right-hand  cafgin  should  be  equs.1  to  the  left-hand 
o.argln,  you  should  cake  your  typed  line  a  little   shorter  thw. 
usutl.     A  bit  of  forethought  on  your  yert  will  mean  gooa-loclung 
letters  —one  of  the  chief  ways  by  which  your  work  is  judged, 

In  closing  a  letter,  begin  tne  co^plinjentary  close  in  the  center 
cf  the  line  and  end  with  a  coou. 

ours  t 

e-t.^6 

Sale,  s  !'ar.ager 


Tn  case  there  is  &  postscript  to  your  letter,  begir.  it  thrre 
spaces  down  from  the  title  of  the  signer,  tnd  flush  witi,  the 
oarr.ir..  Do' rat  put  the  letters  "P.S."  before  it^  Tliey  are 
unnicessary. 


EXAMPLE   OF   GOOD   MECHANICAL  MAKE-UP   OF  A   BUSINESS   LETTER 

59 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

3.  If  a  second  page  is  necessary,  care  should  be  taken  to 
see  that  it  contains  at  least  three  lines  of  the  body  of  the 
letter. 

The  Complimentary  Close 

1.  The  complimentary  close  is  placed   two  or  three 
spaces  below  the  body  of  the  letter  and  usually  begins 
midway  between  the  right-  and  left-hand  margins. 

2.  The  following  forms  are  most  used  in  business  letters : 
Yours  truly,  Truly  yours,  Very  truly  yours,  Yours  very  truly, 
Yours  respectfully. 

S.  Sometimes  in  place  of  truly  it  is  permissible  to  use 
Cordially,  or  Sincerely,  though  these  should  usually  be  re- 
served for  cases  where  there  is  an  established  acquaintance- 
ship between  writer  and  reader. 

4.  Do  not  use  any  abbreviation  such  as  Y'rs  or  Resp'y 
in  the  complimentary  close.    Do  not  write  respectively  for 
respectfully. 

5.  In  the  complimentary  close  only  the  first  word  should 
begin  with  a  capital.    The  proper  punctuation  at  the  end 
is  a  comma. 

6.  In  official  letters  the  complimentary  close  is  Respect- 
fully, Respectfully  submitted,  or  Yours  respectfully. 

7.  The  innovation  in  writing  the  complimentary  close 
at  the  left  in  alignment  with  the  left-hand  type  margin 
has  little  to  recommend  it,  and  does  not  seem  likely  to 
receive  general  adoption.     The  space  there  is  necessary 
for  other  purposes. 

The  Signature 

1.  The  word  "signature"  is  used  to  designate  every- 
thing necessary  to  fix  responsibility  for  the  letter.  Some- 
times it  consists  only  of  the  name  of  the  writer;  sometimes 

60 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

it  includes  also  the  name  of  the  business  house  or  other 
group  whom  he  represents  and  in  whose  interests  he  is 
writing. 

2.  If  the  letter  is  from  the  company,  the  company  name 
should  be  typewritten,   and  below  it  should  come  the 
written  signature  of  the  person  directly  responsible  for 
the  letter.     If  he  is  an  official,  his  signature  should  be 
followed  by  his  title,  as,  President,  Secretary,  Cashier,  and 
the  like.    This  title  should  be  typewritten.     If  he  is  not 
an  official  his  signature  may  be  preceded  by  the  word  by. 
[It  is  not  necessary  to  capitalize  the  letter  b.] 

3.  It  is  a  wise  practice  to  type  the  name  of  the  dictator 
two  or  three  spaces  down  from  the  signature  and  flush 
with  the  left-hand  margin.    This  insures  against  misdirec- 
tion of  a  reply  to  the  dictator,  for  it  is  sometimes  very 
difficult  to  decipher  a  signature.     Then  add  your  own 
initials.    In  other  cases,  only  the  initials  of  the  dictator 
and  stenographer  are  used. 

Examples:  G.  R.  Walters— C.  H. 
G.  R.  W.— C.  H. 
G.  R.  W./C.  H. 

4.  The  signature  of  the  writer,  if  a  man,  should  not  be 
preceded  by  any  title,  such  as  Mr.  or  Prof. 

5.  A  married  woman  signs  her  full  name  (this  includes 
her  maiden  name)  and  places  immediately  below,  in  paren- 
theses, the  name  used  in  her  mailing  address. 

Anna  Templeton  Parsons 
(Mrs.  Edward  F.  Parsons) 

6.  An  unmarried  woman  signs  her  name  with  Miss  in 
parentheses  before  it.     The  practice  of  omitting  "  (Miss) " 

61 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

seems  to  be  growing  in  favor,  doubtless  on  the  assumption 
that  it  will  be  taken  for  granted  if  the  name  is  feminine. 
Initials  in  such  cases  cause  confusion. 

Miscellaneous  Points 

1.  Inclosures  should  be  indicated  by  the  abbreviation 
IncL  (or  End.)  placed  next  to  the  left-hand  margin,  below 
the  initials  of  dictator  and  transcriber;  e.g.,  3  incls. 

2.  Reference  numbers  for  filing  and  other  purposes  may 
be  placed  above  the  body  of  the  letter,  just  below  the  date; 
e.g.,  In  replying,  refer  to  A  407. 

3.  The  personal  attention  of  a  certain  individual  in  a 
firm  is  secured  to  a  matter  of  the  firm's  business  by  the 
expression  Attention  of  Mr.  Blank  written  in  the  center 
of  the  page.     This  may  be  placed  below  the  salutation  or 
above  the  inside  address.     The  former  position  is  prefer- 
able.    The  salutation  should  agree,  however,  with  the 
firm  addressed;  e.g.,  Gentlemen  rather  than  Dear  Sir. 

Corn  Exchange  Bank, 
Astor  Place, 
New  York  City. 

Gentlemen: 

Attention  of  Mr.  Cronin 

4.  When  a  postscript  .is  added  it  is  not  necessary  to 
place  the  letters  P.  S.  before  it.     Drop  down  two  spaces 
below   the   signature  and  begin  it    at  your   paragraph 
margin. 

5.  In  folding  the  letter,  fold  up  the  bottom  edge  until 
it  is  exactly  even  with  the  top  edge  or  one-half  inch  from 
the  top  edge,  and  crease;   then  fold  over  from  the  right 
a  little  more  than  one-third  of  the  letter  and  crease.     The 

62 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

remainder  of  the  letter  is  folded  over  from  the  left.  The 
free  edge  of  the  letter  is  thus  slightly  separated  from  the 
right-hand  crease.  It  should  be  placed  in  the  envelope 
with  the  free  edge  toward  yourself. 

6.  If  the  letter  is  to  be  inclosed  in  a  window  envelope 
(one  with  a  transparent  oval  to  obviate  the  necessity  of 
writing  the  address  twice),  it  must,  of  course,  be  folded  so 
that  the  inside  address  will  show  through  the  "window" 
in  proper  position. 

The  Envelope 

1.  For  most  letters,  the  ordinary  No.  6  envelope  is  used. 
But  for  bulky  letters,  and  when  there  are  many  or  large 
inclosures,  a  larger  envelope  must  be  used.  Have  this 
point  in  mind  when  you  are  choosing  the  envelope  for  the 
letter.  The  address  should  begin  slightly  below  the  mid- 
dle of  the  envelope  and  should  be  well  centered.  Two 
forms  are  used,  just  as  in  the  inside  address. 


The  Smith  Hardware  Company, 
35  Broadway, 

New  York  City. 
[Or] 

The  Smith  Hardware  Company, 
85  Broadway, 
New  York  City. 


2.  When  the  straight-edge  or  block  form  is  used  in 
the  inside  address  this  form  should  be  used  also  on  the 
envelope.     The  main  thing  to  be  considered  is  that  the 
address  should  be  well  balanced. 

3.  The  order  of  the  address  is  usually  as  follows:   first 
line,  name  of  addressee;    second  line,  street  address  or 
box  number;  third  line,  city  or  town,  and  state  or  country; 

63 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

or  state  or  country  may  be  placed  on  a  fourth  line.     Be 
especially  certain  that  the  address  is  correct. 

4.  The  personal  attention  of  a  certain  individual  in  a 
firm  is  secured  to  a  matter  of  the  firm's  business  by  the 
expression  "  (Attention  of  Mr.  Blank) "  placed  in  the  lower 
left-hand  corner  of  the  envelope. 

5.  If  the  letter  is  to  go  special  delivery,  or  is  to  be 
registered,  or  is  going  to  a  foreign  country  (in  which  case 
extra  postage  is  required),  it  is  a  wise  practice  to  write  in 
red  ink  on  the  envelope  at  the  place  where  the  stamps  will 
go  such  directions  as  "Special  Delivery,"  "Registered," 
"Foreign."     In  case  a  return  receipt  is  needed,   type 
"Return  Receipt  Requested"  at  the  lower  left-hand  side 
of  the  envelope. 

Official  Letters 

Official  letters  are  used  in  writing  about  matters  that 
are  outside  the  scope  of  regular  business.  Any  letter  that 
is  written  by  or  to  an  official,  or  to  a  business  man,  on 
any  other  question  than  those  which  come  up  in  the  regu- 
lar routine  of  business,  may  be  considered  an  official 
letter. 

The  stationery  used  in  these  letters  is  different  from 
that  used  for  other  business  communications.  As  a  rule, 
it  is  of  folder  form,  like  social  stationery,  and  may  be 
smaller  in  size  than  the  8^x1 1-in.  business  sheet.  When 
four-page  folder  sheets  are  used  the  fold  should  be  at  the 
right,  or,  in  other  words,  that  page  which  is  ordinarily 
the  back  page  of  a  folder  is  the  first  page  to  be  written  on. 
If  a  second  page  is  necessary,  the  other  outside  page  is 
used.  When  three  or  four  pages  are  to  be  written  on,  the 
best  order  is  the  natural,  as  1,  2,  3,  4;  and  not  1,  2,  4,  3, 
or  1,  4,  2,  3. 

64 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


K.  4  G.  WIRELESS  SUPPLY  CO. 

152  CHAMBERS  STREET 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


Montgomery  &  Smith, 
415  North  Perry  Street, 
Peoria,   Illinois. 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  ADDRESS  ON  ENVELOPE  (BLOCK  FORM) 


K.  &  C.  WIRELESS  SUPPLY  CO. 

JS2  CHAMBERS  STREET 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


Montgonery  &  Stilth, 

415  North  Perry  Street, 
Peoria,  IllinoiB. 


ARRANGEMENT    OF   ADDRESS    ON    ENVELOPE    (INDENTED    FORM) 

65 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Formal  Official  Letters 

There  are  two  classes  of  official  letters — the  formal  and 
the  informal.  The  formal  letter  is  sent  to  government 
officials,  members  of  Congress,  and  others  in  high  position. 

The  mechanical  form  of  the  formal  official  letter  differs 
from  that  of  other  business  letters.  The  inside  address 
is  written  at  the  close  of  the  letter  at  the  left-hand  side. 
In  it,  all  titles  are  given  in  full.  No  abbreviations  should 
be  used  except  initials  of  degrees,  societies,  etc.,  as  LL.D., 
F.R.G.S. 

The  salutation  is  Sir  or  Sirs.  The  complimentary  close 
is  Respectfully  or  Very  respectfully. 

In  the  body  of  the  letter,  the  strictest  formality  is 
observed.  No  abbreviations  or  colloquial  expressions  are 
permissible. 

Informal  Official  Letters 

Informal  official  letters  are  used  between  business  men 
who  are  on  terms  of  familiarity  with  one  another,  about 
matters  outside  the  routine  of  business. 

As  in  the  formal  official  letter,  the  inside  address  is  at 
the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  sheet  at  the  end  of  the 
letter. 

The  salutation  is  informal,  as  Dear  Johnston,  Dear  Mr. 
Johnston,  Dear  Fred,  or  any  other  appropriate  salutation 
the  writer  pleases  to  use.  The  complimentary  close  may 
be  Sincerely,  Cordially,  or  Faithfully,  and  others  of  like 
tenor. 

The  Mechanical  Display  of  Reports 

A  typewritten  report  should  be  made  as  attractive  as 
possible  in  mechanical  display.  Moreover,  a  report  should 
be  made  convenient  for  reference  purposes.  To  accom- 

66 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


39  PARK  PLACE 
NEW  YORK 


Novsmber  10,   1920, 


My  dear  Mr.  Bronson: 

Upon  my  return  free  Philadelphia  I  fovmd 
your  letter  of  November  15  awaiting  me. 
I   certainly  shall  be  pleased  to  meet  you 
at  the  Yale   Club  at  the    tine  you  suggest, 
7:30  P.  M.      I  shall  bring  with  me  all  the 
data  that  I  have  been  able  to  gather  on 
the   subject  in  question. 

Cordially  ycurs, 


Mr.  T.  L.  Bronson, 
10  Wall  Street, 
New  York  City. 


ARRANGEMENT    OF    LETTER    IN    OFFICIAL   STTLE 
67 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


Different 
7.indt  of 
Ecportt 


of  the 

Report 


Main  Kei..lt 
fub-hfadt 


Peportt  range  ail  the-  wey  froir  the  thort  report  of  nearly 
tli  figure*  to  long  report!  made  up  of  narration,   detcription 
and  cxpoiition.     There  it  every  grade  of  report  from  the 

pertuution  and  the  raOcing  of  important  rec^mendatlcni.     But 


pay. 


•p»r 


important.     The  value   of  the   report  it  largely  dependent 
upon  the  method  of  trrangeccnt  and  physical  appearance. 


•ry 


able   to 


inr<iii-teljr 


Ir.  orde.r  that  the   reader  say  be 

<nl  in  order  that  he  may  know  exactly  what  »«  covered  in  a 
certain  paragraph  or  Motion,   the  report  ehould  have  numerou 

parc.grc.phe   to  which  the   tub-head  refrn. 

Tc  tllrw  tufficitnt  space  for  the  lub-headi  which  appear 

in  the  oargin  and  to  perx.it  of  the  placing  o 

•  Icou-Uaf  blnjar  to  that  the  written  port 

»ill  not  be  obtcured,   le&vc  &  ijargin  of  two 

left-U^il  tide.     A  aarcin  of  three- quartert 

•Lould  be  It  ft  at  the  richt-i.a.nd  tia*.     All 

bf£in  fluab  with  the  left  type-n-^r^in  Hot. 

HEACIHC6 

Main  hrRti  tl.o-ild  b';  writun  in  c*fit*l  letur<  and  thculd 
bf  etnUrtt  on  the  pc.y . 


ncho  at  th* 

i  inch 
i  thould 


The  flrtt  lctt«r 


the 


wort-i  in  a  tUi-het.1, 
exception  of  crticlet  tnd  i-ix  JJOBI  tioni,   thoul-  b«  b  d.pit^.1 
letter.     The   «ub-l.c»d  thould  begir.  in  U^   L»rg-.r.,  on  u  lint 
>l  U-  vul  op-ojite   the  paragraph  to  VUich  it  r«fert.     Ltt»« 
at  l«i-it  fc  tuarur  inch  b<  t«ten  tte  «nd  of  the  tub-htt-d   ' 
cnil  thb  p*»re-jraph  r^rgln. 

?p.'.en:o 


pi-ri.£r*pht.     Shencvtr  there   it  A  u>in  healii.«,  drop  doan 
three   trucct,   typt  the  oMr>  hradir-t  nnd  then  drop  io»n  t-w 
t»rt  fftH*  befort  it^rtir.g  th*  »xt  paraiyrajh. 


KXAMPLE    OF    ARRANGEMENT    OF    A    REPORT    PAGE    (PUNCHING    AT    TOP) 

68 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


purpose  a  skilled  repair  machinist  snould  be 

of  these  machines  to  tha  bead  of  the  department, 
secured  far  enough  ahead. 


nornical  care  of 


and  files  should  be  furnished  by  the  accounting 
Planning  of  the          Planning  of  the  work  for  the  day  should  be 

the  h«ad  of  th»          having  been  completely  chocked  by  tlie  head  of 

Eochanice  should  bo  signed  by  the  head  of  the 
department. 


EETECTS  OF  SVOSESTIO 


Departnental  With  properly  standordited  equipment,  work  may 

equipment  save  time  in  making  estimates  but  will  safeguard 

.the  company  from  errors  in  estimates. 

Considerable  saving  will  result  from  the"  benefit 

•  $14,000,     With  the  standardized  equipment 

Testnent  for  such  items  will  not  exceed  43,000 
at  catalog  prices. 

.Tne  loss  ir.  "idle  tine",  both  of  labor  and  of 


EXAMPLE    OF    ARRANGEMENT    OF    A    REPORT    PAGE    (PUNCHING    AT    LEFT) 

ft  69 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

plish  these  two  purposes,  the  following  suggestions  will 
help: 

1.  Leave  a  wider  margin  than  you  ordinarily  use  in  letters,  at  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  sheet,  for  often  these  pages  are  stapled 
together  or  bound  at  the  left,  and  a  narrow  margin  will  mean 
that  the  reader  will  have  difficulty  in  reading  the  words  at  the 
beginnings  of  the  lines. 

2.  Type  subheads  in  capitals,  in  red,  underline  them,  or  in  some 
other  way  separate  them  from  the  body  of  the  reading  matter 
so  that  they  will  be  seen  at  a  glance.     Sometimes  they  are 
placed  in  the  left-hand  marginal  space.     The  appearance  and 
efficiency  of  the  report  can  be  materially  enhanced  by  good 
display  of  titles,  captions,  main  heads,  subheads,  etc. 

3.  The  page  number  may  appear  either  at  the  top  or  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sheet. 

4.  Leave  good  margins  at  the  top  and  bottom;   in  other  words, 
don't  crowd  the  page. 


Chapter  VI 

About  Your  Spelling 

The  Importance  of  Correct  Spelling 

THE  ability  of  the  stenographer  to  spell  correctly  all 
the  words  in  her  letters  is  important,  not  only  to  the 
stenographer,  but  to  the  dictator  and  to  the  business 
concern  as  well.  It  is  important  to  the  dictator  because 
he  is  made  to  appear  in  a  disadvantageous  light  to  the 
reader  of  the  letter  if  the  letter  contains  misspelled  words. 
He  is  made  to  appear  either  ignorant  or  careless.  More- 
over, if  he  is  not  sure  of  the  ability  of  his  stenographer  to 
make  certain  that  there  are  no  faults  in  spelling  in  his  let- 
ters, he  is  obliged  to  read  every  word  carefully  to  assure  him- 
self that  it  is  correctly  spelled.  If  he  is  compelled  to  do  this 
before  he  is  willing  to  attach  his  signature  to  the  letter,  it 
means  a  loss  of  time  and  much  worry.  You  can  readily 
realize,  therefore,  why  the  dictator  thinks  highly  of  the 
stenographer  who  is  consistently  dependable  in  her  spelling. 

Correct  spelling  is  an  important  matter  to  the  business 
concern,  for  it,  too,  cannot  afford  to  have  its  name  attached 
to  letters  that  contain  misspelled  words.  Such  letters 
injure  its  standing  in  the  eyes  of  its  readers.  How  would 
you  yourself  feel  if  you  received  a  letter  from  a  high-class 
firm  and  then  found  several  mistakes  in  spelling  in  the 
letter?  Wouldn't  you  look  down  on  that  firm?  And, 
again,  the  business  house  loses  money  whenever  one  of 

71 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

its  highly  paid  dictators  is  forced  to  spend  time  checking 
the  spelling  of  his  letters. 

For  these  reasons,  therefore,  you  can  see  why  your 
ability  to  spell  correctly  all  the  time  is  important  to  them, 
and  because  it  is  an  important  matter  to  them  it  is  im- 
portant to  you.  It  makes  you  more  valuable  to  your 
dictator  and  to  the  house.  You  have  possibly  never 
looked  at  this  seemingly  unimportant  matter  from  this 
viewpoint;  but  now  that  you  understand  the  business 
reasons  for  good  spelling  you  can  appreciate  that  correct 
spelling  means  a  lot  to  business  houses. 

Consistently  dependable  spelling  is,  and  always  will  be, 
an  asset  to  the  stenographer.  It  should  be  part  of  her 
stock  in  trade,  a  tool  that  she  needs  constantly  in  her 
work.  Probably  in  no  other  trade  or  occupation  is  the 
ability  to  spell  well  more  important.  Resolve  now,  there- 
fore, to  develop  your  ability  in  this  matter,  and  resolve 
never  to  misspell  another  word  if  you  can  help  it.  If  you 
really  want  to,  you  can  so  develop  your  ability  that  you 
will  be  very  close  indeed  to  100  per  cent  proficient  in  it. 
And  since  it  is  so  valuable  to  you,  you  should  want  to. 

Spelling,  after  all,  is  not  a  difficult  subject  to  master.  It 
is  chiefly  a  matter  of  carefulness  and  close  concentration. 
It  is  not  as  though  you  were  taking  part  in  a  "spelling 
bee"  and  could  not  look  up  a  word  about  which  you  were 
not  sure,  for  you  can  always  assure  yourself  of  the  correct 
spelling  by  consulting  your  dictionary.  Surely  that  is 
easy.  And  if  you  don't  look  up  the  word  it  is  downright 
laziness  or  neglect  of  your  duty.  It  is  just  carelessness 
in  matters  like  this  that  brands  a  stenographer  as  being 
lazy,  negligent,  and  incompetent. 

Some  stenographers  think  it  is  a  disgrace  to  be  seen 
using  a  dictionary.  Quite  the  contrary;  it  shows  that  a 
girl  is  careful  and  is  trying  to  do  accurate  work.  The 

72 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

girls  who  have  the  best  record  for  correct  spelling  are  not 
those  who  neglect  the  use  of  the  dictionary.  Remember 
that  there  is  absolutely  no  excuse  for  even  one  misspelled 
word  in  the  letter,  for  you  always  have  the  opportunity 
to  use  the  dictionary.  So  make  it  a  rule  and  a  habit  with 
yourself  to  look  up  every  word  concerning  the  spelling  of 
which  you  have  any  doubts.  If  you  do  this  you  will  find 
in  time  that  you  will  have  to  use  the  dictionary  only  rarely. 
There  is  no  need  to  give  space  in  this  book  to  the  rules 
of  spelling.  You  will  find  them  given  in  complete  detail 
in  any  good  dictionary.  It  might  be  advisable  to  study 
them,  for  if  you  can  remember  them  you  need  not  spend 
so  much  time  looking  up  words. 

Technical  and  Trade  Words 

Every  trade,  business,  and  profession  uses  words  and 
expressions  that  are  peculiar  to  it.  The  dictator  in  the 
printing  business  uses  such  words  as  em,  pica,  Caslon,  and 
saddle  stitching;  in  the  banking  business,  such  words  as 
amortize,  debenture,  bearish,  and  when,  as,  and  if  issued; 
and  in  the  legal  profession,  such  words  as  garnishee,  prcecipe, 
quash,  and  "on  all  fours."  Some  of  these  words  and  ex- 
pressions cannot  be  found  in  the  dictionary.  For  this 
reason  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  make  yourself  acquainted, 
by  study  and  observance,  with  the  spelling  of  the  technical 
or  trade  words  common  to  your  business,  because  you  will 
constantly  use  them.  It  might  not  be  inadvisable  to  make 
a  list  of  them  for  your  own  convenience. 

Words  Correctly  Spelled  in  Two  or  More  Ways 

You  will  frequently  come  upon  words  that  are  correctly 
spelled  in  two  or  more  ways.  The  only  rule  to  observe 

73 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

here  is  to  be  consistent.  Don't  spell  the  word  in  one  way 
in  one  part  of  your  letter  and  in  a  different  way  in  another 
part.  A  list  of  some  of  these  words  follows: 

PREFERRED  SPELLING 


acknowledgment 

agriculturist 

almanac 

amortize 

appall 

appareled 

appraise 

aught 

ax   \ 

axe/ 


acknowledgement 

agriculturalist 

almanack 

amortise 

appal 

apparelled 

apprize 

ought 


B 


balk 

barreled 

behavior 

beveled 

biased 

brier 

burned  (c) 


baulk 

barrelled 

behaviour 

bevelled 

biassed 

briar 

burnt 


caliber 

canceled 

catalog 

center 

check 

chock-full  \ 

chuck-full  / 

color 

cozy 

criticize  \ 

criticise  / 


calibre 

cancelled 

catalogue 

centre 

cheque 


colour 
cosy,  cosey 


74 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


D 


decrepit 

defense 

demeanor 

dependence 

dependent 

develop,-ment 

dexterous 

disk\ 

disc  / 

dispatch 

distill  \ 

distil  / 

distributer 

dryly 

dye  (color) 


ecstasy 

embarkation 

enclose  \ 

inclose  / 

encumber 

endear 

endeavor 

endure 

enroll 

envelop  (v) 

envelope  (n) 


E 


decrepid 

defence 

demeanour 

dependance 

dependant 

develope,-ment 

dextrous 


despatch 


distributor 

drily 

die 


ecstacy 
embarcation 


incumber 

indear 

endeavour 

indure 

enrol 

envelope  (v) 

envelop  (n) 


favor 
formulas  \ 
formulae  / 


favour 


gauge 

gayly 

gray 

guaranty  (n)  \ 
guarantee  (n)  / 
guarantee  (v) 


75 


gage 
gaily 
grey 


guaranty  (e) 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 
H 


harbor 
hindrance    \ 
hinderance  / 
honor 
humor 


harbour 


honour 
humour 


imperiled 
incase 

incumbrance 
indexes  \ 
indices  / 
indorse 
inquire 
install  1 
instal  / 
installment  \ 
instalment  / 
intrust 
inveigle 


imperilled 

encase 

encumbrance 


endorse 
enquire 


entrust 
enveigle 


labeled 

labor 

leveled 

libeled 

license 


labelled 

labour 

levelled 

libelled 

licence 


M 


mantelpiece 

marshaled 

marveled 

memoranda       \ 

memorandums  / 

mileage 

mold 

mould  / 

moneyed 

moneys 

movable 


mantlepiece 

marshalled 

marvelled 


milage 


monied 
monies 
moveable 


76 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

N 


naught 
neighbor 


nought 
neighbour 


odor 
offense 


odour 
offence 


paneled 
paralyze 
peddler 
penciled 
plow      \ 
plough  / 
practice  \ 
practise  / 
pretense  \ 
pretence  / 
program 


\ 


panelled 
paralyse 
pedler 
pencilled 


programme  / 


quartet     \ 
quartette  / 


rancor 
re-enforce 
rigor 
rivaled 


rancour 
reinforce 
rigour 
rivalled 


salable 
shyly 
skillful 
suite  (n) 
survivor 


saleable 

shily 

skilful 

suit 

surviver 


77 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 
T 

theater  \ 

theatre  / 

transship  tranship 

traveled  travelled 

U 

unbiased  unbiassed 

until  untill 

W 

wintry  wintery 

woolen  woollen 

Foreign  Words  and  Phrases  Commonly  Used  in 
English 

There  are  certain  foreign  words  and  phrases  commonly 
used  in  dictation,  the  spelling  of  which  will  trouble  you. 
Look  them  up  in  the  main  section  of  the  dictionary;  if 
you  don't  find  them  there  consult  the  section  on  foreign 
expressions.  A  short  list  of  the  most  commonly  used 
foreign  words  follows : 

A  anno  Domini 

a  posteriori  apropos 

a  priori  au  fait 

ad  intinii inn  au  revoir 
ad  interim 
ad  valorem 

addendum  (plural,  addenda)  bagatelle 

alias  bete  noire 

alibi  blas£ 

alma  mater  bona  fide 

alumnus  (m.)  \  bon  voyage 
alumni             / 
alumna  (/.)  \ 

alumnae        /  camaraderie 

amanuensis  carte  blanche 

caveat  emptor 
78 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


chaperon 

et  cetera 

charge  d'affaires 

ex  cathedra 

confrere 

ex  officio 

connoisseur 

ex  parte 

contra 

expos6 

contretemps 

extempore 

coup  d'etat 

crises  (plural  of  crisis) 

criteria  (plural  of  criterion) 

facsimile 

cuisine 

faux  pas 

fete 

D 

fiasco 

datum  (plural,  data) 

finale 

de  facto 

finesse 

debris 

finis 

debut 
denouement 

formulae  \   /  ,       ,      ,  ,         ,  . 
formulas/  (plurak  °f  formula) 

depot 

fracas 

desideratum  (plural,  desiderata) 

devoir 

G 

dictum  (plural,  dicta) 

genre 

dilletante 

gratia 

distingue 

distrait 

H 

dramatis  personse 

habitat 

habitue 

E 

hauteur 

eclat 

hoi  polloi 

elite 

honorarium 

emeritus 

hors  de  combat 

encore 

en  masse 

I 

en  rapport 

ignis  fatuus 

en  route 

impedimenta 

ennui 

impromptu 

ensemble 

in  toto 

entre  nous 

in  transitu 

entree 

incognito 

entrepreneur 
erratum  (plural,  errata) 

indices  \    (  ,uralg  of  index} 
indexes  / 

esprit  de  corps 

ingenue 

79 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


innuendo,-oes 
insouciance 
instanter 
interim 
ipso  facto 

L 

laissez-faire 

M 

magnus  opus 

inal  de  mer 

manifesto 

manoeuvre 

masseur  (m.) 

masseuse  (/.) 

maximum  (plural,  maxima) 

melee 

memoranda      \   (plurals  of  mem- 

memorandums  /     orandum) 

minima       \  (  lura]s  of  minimum) 
mimmums  J 
modus  operandi 

N 

naive 

nalvet6 

negligee 

Hum  de  plume 

nonchalance 

nota  bene  (N.B.) 

O 

onus 
outr6 


par  excellence 
passim 
penchant 
per  annum 


per  capita 

per  cent  (or,  per  cent.) 

per  centum 

per  contra 

per  diem 

per  se 

persona  non  grata 

personnel 

phenomena  (plural  of  phenomenon) 

poseur 

post  mortem 

post  prandial 

prima  facie 

pro  forma 

pro  rata 

pro  tempore 

protege 

Q 

quasi 

questionnaire 
quondam 
quota 

R 

r6gime 
rendezvous 


rdle 


sanctum  sanctorum 

sang-froid 

savant 

savoire  faire 

seance 

sine  die 

sine  qua  non 

sobriquet 

sotto  voce 

stet 

sub  rosa 


80 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


T 

terra  firma 

totum 

tout  ensemble 

U 

ultimatum 
ultra 


verbatim  (et  literatim) 

via 

vice 

vice  versa 

vis-a-vis 

viva  voce 


Plurals  of  Foreign   Words 


Many  words  adopted  from  foreign  languages  retain  their 
original  plurals.  Some  of  the  most  commonly  used  are 
given  below.  Many  of  them,  while  retaining  the  original 
plural  form,  have  also  a  second,  or  English,  plural  form. 


Singular 
addendum 
alumna  (/.) 
alumnus  (m.) 
analysis 
antithesis 
apex 
appendix 
axis 
basis 
cherub 
crisis 
criterion 
curriculum 
datum 
desideratum 
dictum 
encomium 
erratum 
focus 
formula 
hypothesis 
index 


Original  Plural 
addenda 
aluiiinse 
alumni 
analyses 
antitheses 
apices 
appendices 
axes 
bases 
cherubim 
crises 
criteria 
curricula 
data 

desiderata 
dicta 
encomia 
errata 
foci 

formulae 
hypotheses 
indices 
81 


English  Plural 


apexes 
appendixes 


cherubs 

criterions 
curriculums 


encomiums 

focuses 
formulas 

indexes 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Singular  Original  Plural  English  Plural 

matrix  matrices 

maximum  maxima 

memorandum  memoranda  memorandums 

minimum  minima 

nucleus  nuclei  nucleuses 

oasis  oases 

parenthesis  parentheses 

phenomenon  phenomena 

radius  radii 

stratum  strata  stratums 

synopsis  synopses 

tableau  tableaux 

terminus  termini 

ultimatum  ultimata  ultimatums 

Words  That  Have  the  Same  or  Nearly  the  Same 

Sound 

In  the  English  language  there  is  many  a  word  that  has 
the  same  or  nearly  the  same  sound  as  another  word  that 
is  spelled  differently  and  has  a  different  meaning.  Since, 
in  stenography,  the  phonetic  outlines  of  these  words  are 
often  the  same,  or  nearly  the  same  [clothes,  cloths],  you 
must  be  especially  careful  that  you  use  the  right  word 
when  you  transcribe.  To  do  this  you  should  know  what 
these  words  are  and  what  different  meanings  they  have,  so 
that  you  won't  make  a  mistake.  A  list  of  the  most  com- 
mon ones  is  given  below.  Several  words  are  included, 
however,  which  differ  in  spelling  in  spite  of  a  logical  rela- 
tionship [maintain,  maintenance]. 

accept  (to  receive)  affect  (to  influence) 

except  (to  exclude;  with  the  excep-      effect  (to  bring  about) 
tion  of) 

allusion  (a  reference) 

advice  (noun)  illusion       (o      deceiving      appear- 

advise  (verb)  once) 

82 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


all  right 

almost 

all  ready  (completely  prepared) 

already  (previously) 

altogether 

all  ways 

always  (at  all  times) 

aloud 
allowed 

alley  (a  narrow  passage) 
ally  (o  confederate) 

altar  (o  structure  used  in  worship) 
alter  (to  change) 


base 


bean 
been 
bin 

born  (brought  into  being) 
borne  (carried) 

boy 
buoy 

breath  (noun) 
breathe  (verb) 

by 

buy 


angel  (a  celestial  being) 

angle  (the  meeting-place  of  two  lines)      calender  (a  machine) 

calendar  (a  register  of  the  days,  etc.) 
appraise  (to  set  a  value  on) 

apprise  (to  inform)  capital  (the  sum  invested  in  a  busi- 

ness;  the  chief  city,  etc.) 
capitol  (a  statehouse) 


canvas  (a  cloth) 
canvass  (to  solicit) 


ascent 
assent 

assistants  (those  who  aid) 
assistance  (aid) 

bad 

bade  (past  tense  of  to  bid) 

cede  (to  give  up) 

bail  (the  security  for  the  release  of  a 

P™°ner)  ceiling 

bale  (a  large  bundle)  sealing 


cease 
seize 


bare 

bear 

baring  (making  bare) 

barring  (obstruction) 

bearing  (carrying) 


cellar 
seller 

cereal  (edible  grain) 

serial  (pertaining  to  a  series) 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


cession  (a  yielding  up) 


desert  (a  barren  country) 


session  (the  actual  sitting  of  a  court       dessert  (food) 
or  other  body;    the  time  during 


which  the  body  meets) 

choir 
quire 

clause 
claws 

close 

clothes  (garmenti) 

cloths  (pieces  of  cloth) 


device  (noun) 
devise  (verb) 

disappear 

disappoint 

disavowal 

dissatisfaction 

dissimilar 

dissipate 

dissuade 

discomfit  (to  thwart) 
discomfort  (to  make  uneasy) 


coarse  (not  fine) 

course  (route,  method  of  behavior) 

done  (past  participle  of  to  do) 
complement     (to    supply    a    dcfi-       dun    (an   urgent   request  for   pay- 

ciency) 
compliment  (to  praise) 


ment;  as  verb,  to  ask  a  debtor  for 
payment) 


conscious  (aware) 

conscience  (an  inner  moral  sense) 


dual  (expressing  the  number  f) 
duel  (a  combat  between  two  persons) 


corespondent   (a   joint   respondent      emerge  (to  come  forth  from  conceal- 


in  a  divorce  suit) 
correspondents  (those  who  write 

communications) 
correspondence  (communication  by  faint 

letters) 


ment) 
immerge  (to  plunge  into  anything) 


currant  (a  dried  berry) 
current  (a  flow) 

dairy 
diary 


feint  (a  pretense;  a  mock  attack) 

fair 

fare    (the   sum    paid  for  a  jour- 
ney, etc.) 


flea  (an  insect) 

flee  (to  run  away  from) 

decent  (respectable,  etc.) 

descent  (downward  slope  or  motion)       formally  (in  a  formal  way) 

dissent  (o  disagreement) 


formerly  (in  time  pott) 


84 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


forth 
forty 
four 
fourth 

foul 
fowl 


isle  (an  inland) 

aisle  (a  narrow  passage) 

its  (possessive  pronoun) 
it's  (contraction  of  it  is) 


key 

quay  (a  wharf) 
gambling     (wagering     money     on 

games  of  chance)  know 

gamboling  (frisking  or  leaping  with       no 
joy) 

later  (comparative  of  late) 
latter  (the  second) 


gate 

gait  (a  manner  of  walking) 

great 
grate 

hear 
here 

heard 
herd 

hinder 
hindrance 

holly  (a  tree) 

holy  (hallowed,  sacred) 

wholly  (altogether) 

hoping  (from  hope) 
hopping  (from  hop) 


lead  (a  metal) 

led  (past  tense  of  to  lead) 

leased  (let  by  written  contract) 
least 

lessen  (verb) 
lesson  (noun) 

lesser  (smaller;  inferior) 
lessor  (one  who  gives  a  lease) 

loan 
lone 

loose  (free,  not  bound) 
lose  (to  suffer  the  loss  of) 

main 
mane 


ingenious  (possessed  of  or  proceed- 
ing from  genius)  maintain 
ingenuous  (frank,  open) 


instance  (an  example) 
instants  (periods  of  time) 

1 


maintenance 

medal 
meddle 


85 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


meat 
meet 
mete 

miner 
minor 

need 
knead 

nineteenth 
ninetieth 
ninety 
ninth 

not 
knot 

ore 
oar 

ought  (should) 
aught  (anything) 
naught  (a  cipher,  nothing) 

pail 
pale 

pain 
pane 

pair 
pare 
pear 

past     (adjective,    adverb,    prepon- 

tion) 
passed  (verb,  past  tense  of  to  pass) 

patience 
patients 


peace  (a  state  of  calm) 
piece  (a  fragment) 

peer  (an  equal;  to  look  narrowly) 
pier 

perceive 

perform 

persevere 

persuade 

purchase 

pursue 

perquisite 
prerequisite 

personal  (private,  individual) 
personnel  (the  body  of  persons  en- 
gaged in  some  activity) 

Philippines 
Filipino 

plain  (clear) 
plain  (flat  region) 
plane  (geometrical  term) 

planed  (past  tense  of  to  plane) 
planned  (past  tense  of  to  plan) 

pleasant 
please 

pored  (looked  with  close  attention) 
poured 

precede 

proceed 

succeed 

exceed 

concede 

intercede 


86 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


recede 
supersede 

precedence  (act  or  right  of  preced- 
ing) 

precedents  (things  said  or  done  be- 
fore, now  used  as  authority  or 
model) 

presence  (state  of  being  present) 
presents  (gifts) 

prevail 
prevalent 

pride 

pried  (inspected  closely;  raised  with 
a  lever) 

principal  (chief,  leading;  the  leading 
official  of  a  school;  a  sum  of  money) 
principle  (a  general  truth) 

profit 
prophet 

prophecy  (noun) 
prophesy  (verb) 

quiet  (still) 
quite  (completely) 

rain 

reign  (rule  of  a  monarch) 
rein  (part  of  a  harness) 

rap 

wrap  (to  roll  together;   a  wrapper) 

recent  (of .late  occurrence) 
resent  (to  consider  as  an  affront) 
re-sent  (sent  again) 


respectfully  (with  respect) 
respectively   (in  a  way  proper  to 

each;    should  never  be  used  to 

close  a  letter) 

rest 

wrest  (to  force  from  by  violence) 

right 

rite  (ceremony) 

write 

ring 

wring  (to  twist) 


sail 
sale 

scene  (part  of  a  play) 

seen  (past  participle  of  to  see) 

shone  vpast  tense  of  shine) 
shown  (past  tense  of  show) 

seize 
siege 

serge  (twilled  woolen  stuff) 
surge  (a  large  wave) 

sight  (view,  spectacle) 
site  (situation,  a  plot  of  ground  re- 
served for  some  use) 
cite  (to  bring  forward  as  evidence) 

sole 
soul 

speak 
speech 


87 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


stairs  (a  serifs  of  steps) 
stares  (fixed  looks) 

stationary  (not  moving) 
stationery  (writing  materials) 

statue  (a  sculptured  likeness) 
stature  (height,  figure) 
statute  (a  law) 

steal  (to  lake  by  theft) 
steel  (a  variety  of  iron) 

suite 
sweet 

tear 
tier 

than 
then 

their  (belonging  to  them) 

there  (m  that  place) 

they're  (contraction  of  they  are) 


therefore  (for  that  reason) 

threw 
through 

till 
until 

to 

too 

two 

track  (an  imprint;  on  a  road) 
tract  (an  area  of  land) 
tract  (a  treatise) 


village 
villain 

wade 
weighed 

waist   (the  middle  of  the  body;    a 

garment) 
waste  (a  loss,  a  useless  expense) 

waive  (to  forego) 

wave    (to   move   one   way   and   the 
other) 

way 
weigh 

weak  (not  strong) 
week  (seven  days) 

wear 
ware 

weather 
whether 


therefor  (to  that  end,  for  that  thing)       who,e 


hole  (an  opening) 

who's  (who  is) 

whose  (the  possessive  of  who) 

wood 
would 

wrote  (past  tense  of  to  write) 
rote    (a    repetition    of    words    or 
sounds) 

your  (the  possessive  of  you) 
you're  (contraction  of  you  are) 


88 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Words  Commonly  Misspelled 

Here  is  a  list  of  words  that  are  commonly  misspelled. 
Study  the  list  with  care,  for  these  are  the  words  that  give 
trouble. 


apparel 

business 

conscience 

appearance 

busy 

conscientious 

absurd 

appropriate 

considered 

accept 

arctic 

C 

continuous 

accidentally 

argument 

calendar 

control 

accommodate 

arising 

candidate 

controlled 

accumulate 

arithmetic 

can't 

convenience 

accustom 

arrange 

cemetery 

convenient 

acquainted 

arrival 

certain 

co-operate 

acquitted 

ascend 

changeable 

corroborate 

across 

asks 

changing 

country 

addressed 

athletic 

characteristic 

course 

adviser 

audience 

chauffeur 

courteous 

affects 

auxiliary 

choose 

courtesy 

aggravate 

awkward 

chose 

critici/e  \ 

alley 

chosen 

criticise  j 

allotted 

B 

chute 

cruelty 

all  right 

balance 

clothes 

cylinder 

ally 

barbarous 

coarse 

already 

baring 

column 

D 

altar 

barring 

combating 

dealt 

alter 

based 

coming 

debater 

altogether 

bearing 

commission 

deceitful 

alumnus 

becoming 

committee 

decide 

always 

begging 

comparative 

decision 

amateur 

beginning 

compel 

deferred 

among 

believing 

compelled 

definite 

analogous 

benefited 

competent 

derived 

analysis 

biscuit 

concede 

descend 

angel 

boundaries 

conceivable 

describe 

angle 

brilliant 

confectionery 

description 

annual 

Britain 

conferred 

despair 

anxiety 

buoyant 

conquer 

desperate 

apparatus 

bureau 

conqueror 

destroy 

THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


device 

exhaust 

guard 

irrelevant 

devise 

exhilarate 

guess 

irresistible 

difference 

existence 

guidance 

its 

digging 

exorbitant 

it's 

dilemma 

expense 

H 

itself 

dining  room 

experience 

harass 

disappear 

explanation 

haul 

J 

disappoint 

having 

judgment 

disavowal 

F 

height 

discipline 

familiar 

hesitancy 

K 

disease 

fascinate 

holy 

knowledge 

dissatisfied 

feasible 

hoping 

dissipate 

February 

huge 

L 

distinction 

fiery 

humorous 

laboratory 

distribute 

fifth 

hundredths 

ladies 

distributor 

finally 

hurriedly 

laid 

divide 

financier 

hygienic 

later 

divine 

forfeit 

latter 

doctor 

formally 

I 

lead 

don't 

formerly 

imaginary 

led 

drudgery 

forth 

imitative 

liable 

dying 

forty 

immediately 

library 

four 

immigration 

license 

E 

fourth 

imminent 

lightning 

ecstasy 

frantically 

impromptu 

likely 

effects 

fraternity 

incidentally 

literature 

eighth 

friend 

incidents 

loose 

eliminate 

fulfil 

incredulous 

lose 

embarrass 

furniture 

independence 

losing 

eminent 

indiscreet 

lying 

encouraging 

G 

indispensable 

M1 

enemy 

gambling 

induce 

equipped 

gauge 

influence 

maintain 

especially 

generally 

infinite 

maintenance 

etc. 

government 

instance 

manual 

everybody 

governor 

instant 

manufacturer 

exaggerate 

grammar 

intellectual 

many 

exceed 

grandeur 

intelligence 

marriage 

excellent 

grievous 

intentionally 

Massachusetts 

except 

guarantee 

intercede 

material 

exceptional 

guaranty 

invitation 

mathematics 

90 


mattress 

opinion 

possibly 

rarity 

meant 

opportunity 

practically 

ready 

messenger 

optimistic 

prairie 

really 

miniature 

original 

precede 

recede 

minutes 

outrageous 

precedence 

receipt 

miscellaneous 

overrun 

precedents 

receive 

mischievous 

preference 

recognize 

Mississippi 

P 

preferred 

recommend 

misspelled 

prejudice 

reference 

momentous 

paid 

preparation 

referred 

month 

pantomime 

prerequisite 

regard 

murmur 

parallel 

primitive 

region 

muscle 

parliament 

principal 

religion 

mysterious 

particularly 

principle 

religious 

partner 

prisoner 

repetition 

N 

passenger 

privilege 

replies 

necessary 

pastime 

probably 

representative 

negroes 

peaceable 

procedure 

restaurant 

neither 

perceive 

proceed 

rheumatism 

nickel 

perception 

proceeding 

ridiculous 

nineteenth 

peremptory 

prodigy 

ninetieth 

perform 

profession 

ninety 

perhaps 

professor 

sacrilegious 

ninth 

permissible 

proffered 

safety 

noticeable 

perquisite 

prohibition 

sandwich 

nowadays 

perseverance 

promissory 

schedule 

personal 

prosecute 

science 

O 

personnel 

prove 

scream 

perspiration 

psychology 

screech 

oblige 

persuade 

purchase 

secede 

obstacle 

pertain 

pursuant 

seems 

occasion 

pervade 

pursue 

seize 

occasionally 

physical 

putting 

sense 

occur 

picnic 

sentence 

occurred 

picknicking 

Q 

separate 

occurrence 

planned 

quantity 

sergeant 

occurring 

pleasant 

quiet 

several 

o'clock 

politician 

'quite 

shiftless 

officers 

politics 

shining 

omitted 

possession 

R 

shone 

omission 

possible 

rapid 

shown 

91 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


shriek 

supersede 

treasurer 

siege 

sure 

tries 

similar 

surprise 

triple 

simulate 

suspicion 

trouble 

since 

syllable 

truly 

smooth 

symmetrical 

Tuesday 

soliloquy 

two 

speak 

T 

typical 

specimen 

temperament 

tyranny 

speech 

temperature 

statement 

tendency 

u 

stationary 

than 

stationery 
statue 

their 
there 

universally 
until 

stature 

therefor 

statute 
steal 

therefore 
they're 

usin^ 
usually 

steel 

thorough 

stops 

thousandths 

V 

stopped 

till 

stopping 
stories 

to 
together 

vacancy 
vegetable 

straight 
stratagem 
stretch 

too 
track 
tract 

vengeance 
vigilance 
village 

strictly 

tragedy 

villain 

succeeds 

tranquillity 

successful 

transference 

w 

succession 

transferred 

summarize 

translate 

wafer 

superintendent 

treacherous 

waive 

warehouse 

weak 

wear 

weather 

Wednesday 

week 

weird 

welcome 

welfare 

where 

wherever 

whether 

which 

whole 

wholly 

who's 

whose 

wintry 

wiry 

within 

without 

women 

world 

writing 

written 


your 
you're 


Words  Ending  in  "-able  "  or  "-i6/e  " 

Since  no  useful  rules  can  be  laid  down  for  the  correct 
spelling  of  words  ending  in  -able  or  -ible,  the  best  thing  to 
do  is  to  observe  carefully  how  they  are  spelled  in  the 

following  list: 

92 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 
•able 

agreeable  manageable 

amenable  passable 

bearable  peaceable 

breakable  perishable 

changeable  preferable 

chargeable  regrettable  (or  regretable) 

comfortable  salable  (or  saleable) 

commendable  suitable 

debatable  (or  debateable)  tenable 

eatable  (but  edible)  tolerable 

excusable  traceable 

forgetable  (or  forgettable)  unbearable 

forgivable  unmistakable 

indispensable  unnamable  (or  unnameable) 

insufferable  unspeakable 

likable  valuable 

lovable  wearable 

-ible 

admissible  intelligible 

audible  invincible 

comprehensible  irresistible 

contemptible  legible 

convertible  perceptible 

credible  permissible 

edible  (but  eatable)  plausible 

eligible  possible 

flexible  responsible 

forcible  sensible 

incorrigible  susceptible 

indefensible  tangible 

inexpressible  terrible 

infallible  visible 

NOTE. — Observe  that  final  e  is  regularly  dropped  before  the 
suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel,  unless  it  is  retained  to  preserve 

the  soft  sound  of  c  or  g  before  a,  as  in  peaceable,  changeable;  it  is 
not  necessary  to  retain  or  insert  e  for  this  reason  before  i:  intelli- 
gible. 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Spelling  of  Possessives 

The  spelling  of  possess!  vcs  sometimes  causes  trouble. 
Here  are  a  few  rules  on  this  point: 

1.  The  possessive  of  singular  nouns  is  formed  by  the 
addition  of  an  apostrophe  and  s  ('s). 

The  company's  policy. 
The  secretary's  report. 

NOTE  1. — Even  though  a  noun  ends  in  s,  its  possessive 
singular  is  formed  in  the  usual  way  by  the  addition  of  an 
apostrophe  and  s  ('s),  unless  the  repetition  of  the  s  sound 
makes  the  word  difficult  to  pronounce  or  unpleasant  in 
sound.  Hence  we  write  " Lewis' 's  salary,"  "Jones's  ac- 
count"; but  "for  goodness'  sake,"  "Ulysses'  sales  ter- 
ritory." 

NOTE  2. — It  will  be  well  to  notice  the  following:  Some- 
body else's  (not  somebody's  else),  everybody  else's  (not 
everybody's  else),  no  one  else's  (not  no  one's  e/.sr). 

2.  The  possessive  of  plural  nouns  that  end  in  s  is  formed 
by  the  addition  of  an  apostrophe  (')  alone. 

Youths'  suits. 
Ladies'  umbrellas. 
Boys'  blouses. 

3.  The  possessive  of  plural  nouns  that  do  not  end  in  s 
is  formed  by  the  addition  of  an  apostrophe  and  s  ('s). 

Men's  shoes. 
Children's  clothing. 
Women's  cloaks. 

94 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

4.  The  possessive  of  a  compound  noun  or  noun  phrase 
is  formed  by  the  addition  of  an  apostrophe  and  s  ('s)  to 
the  last  word  only. 

The  secretary-treasurer's  signature. 
The  Palace  Theater's  new  show. 

NOTE  1. — When  two  or  more  nouns  are  so  used  that 
joint  possession  is  indicated,  the  sign  of  the  possessive  ('s) 
is  added  to  the  last  only. 

Lord  &  Taylor's  windows. 

John  and  George's  new  houses.     (This  expression  indicates  that 

John  and  George  are  joint  owners  of  the  new  houses.) 

NOTE  2. — But  if  separate  possession  is  indicated  the 
sign  of  the  possessive  follows  each  name. 

John's  and  George  s  new  houses.     (This  expression  indicates  that 
both  John  and  George  separately  own  new  houses.) 
Wanamaker's  and  Gimbel's  new  advertising  campaigns. 

5.  The  possessive  pronouns  ours,  yours,  theirs,  hers,  its 
should  not  be  written  with  an  apostrophe.     But  one,  used 
as  a  pronoun,  forms  its  possessive  case  in  the  regular  way, 
as,  one's.    Do  not  confuse  the  pronoun  its  with  the  con- 
traction it's  (it  is}. 

Forming  the  Plural  of  Figures,  Letters,  Signs,  Etc. 

The  plural  of  a  figure,  letter,  or  any  other  character  or 
sign,  or  of  a  word  mentioned  without  regard  to  its  meaning, 
may  be  indicated  by  the  addition  of  the  apostrophe  and 

s  ('s). 

Examples: 

All  the  3's  on  the  page  were  blurred.  .  .  .  His  i's  are  indistinguish- 
able from  his  e's.  .  .  .  The  report  received  the  O.K.'s  of  the  officers. 
.  .  .  Two  and's  were  omitted. 
95 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

NOTE. — In  such  expressions  as  the  following  the  number 
has  a  specific  meaning,  and  is  always  spelled  out: 

The  eights  rowed  side  by  side  to  the  finish  line.  .  .  .  The  strikers 
walked  in  front  of  the  entrance  in  twos  and  tJirees.  .  .  .  The  men 
were  formed  in  ranks  of  fours. 

The  plural  of  a  figure  that  is  spelled  out  is  formed  by 
the  addition  of  *  or  es  to  the  singular  form. 

Example: 

He  was  very  careless  in  the  way  he  wrote  his  ticos  and  sixes. 

When  and  When  Not  to  Spell  Out  Numbers, 
Amounts,  and  Sums 

It  is  often  very  puzzling  to  know  how  to  type  a  number — 
i.e.,  whether  to  spell  it  out  or  to  use  digits.  Although  no 
hard-and-fast  rules  can  be  laid  down — since  many  businos 
houses  have  personal  preferences  in  these  matters — the 
following  suggestions  may  be  of  help. 

1.  Always  spell  out  a  number  if  it  begins  a  sentence. 
If  the  number  is  a  large  one,  rearrange  the  sentence. 

Wrong:          S,J^18  of  these  parts  were  shipped  to  you  on  August 

15. 
Right:  Two  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighteen  of  these 

parts  were  shipped  to  you  on  August  15. 
Rearranged:  We  shipped  to  you  2,^18  of  these  parts  on  August  15. 

2.  If  two  groups  of  figures  come  together,  spell  out  one 
or  the  other  of  the  group,  or  rearrange  the  sentence  to 

prevent  confusion. 

96 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  In  1920,  4,624  employees  received  bonuses  for  good 

attendance. 
Rearranged:  In  1920,  bonuses  for  good  attendance  were  given  to 

4,624  employees. 

3.  Use  figures  in  statistical  tables,  measurements,  serial 
numbers  of  bonds,  policies,  etc. 

Examples : 

The  land  measures  20  by  110  [or,  20x110]  ft. 
We  have  no  more  £-lb.  containers  in  stock. 
The  chart  appears  on  page  18  of  the  report. 
We  need  four  16-candlepower  lamps. 

4.  A  number  that  is  preceded  by  the  abbreviation  No. 
should  always  be  expressed  in  figures,  as  "Your  order 
No.  2468  .  .  ."     "File  No.  146." 

5.  Numbers  used  in  the  usual  dictated  matter,  unless 
specifically  governed  by  other  rules,  should  be  written  out 
if  they  can  be  expressed  in  one  or  two  words;   if  they  re- 
quire three  or  more  words,  they  should  be  expressed  in 

figures. 

Examples: 

There  were  seventeen  desks  in  the  office. 

More  than  a  hundred  customers  canceled  their  orders. 

The  letter  was  sent  to  2,183  agents. 

The  reservoir  covered  1,410,000  acres. 

We  shipped  four  cases  containing  8,248  parts  each. 

NOTE. — In  applying  this  rule  you  should  exercise  your 
judgment  and  experience.  Build  up  your  experience  by 
observation  of  the  usage  in  newspapers  and  magazines. 

6.  In  a  series  of  numbers  maintain  a  consistent  treat- 
ment throughout. 

97 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Examples: 

We  have  fire  typists  in  the  foreign  exchange  department,  ten  in 
the  credit  department,  and  twenty-two  in  the  main  stenographic 
department. 

The  packages  contained,  respectively,  10,  60,  and  200  sheets. 
[Note  that  a  space  must  be  left  between  the  comma  and  the  fol- 
lowing number.] 

7.  In   ordinary   dictation   sums   of   money   under  one 
dollar  may  be  spelled  out,  as  in  "The  tickets  cost  me 
seventy-five  cents  apiece."     The  more  common  practice 
seems  to  be  to  express  them  in  figures  and  with  the  char- 
acter $  or  c.,  as  in  " Please  send  34c.  in  stamps  for  postage." 
But  do  not  use  this  form,  $.03,  except  in  tabulations. 

8.  Round  sums  of  money  over  a  dollar  may  be  written 
out  if  they  can  be  represented  in  a  few  words;  otherwise 
they  may  be  given  in  figures.     The  latter  way  is  the  more 
generally  used.     [See  "Note"  under  5.] 

Examples : 

The  bill  came  to  twenty-two  dollars. 

Thank  you  for  your  check  for  $18. 

NOTE  1. — It  is  not  good  practice  to  use  this  form: 
$18.00  or  $2,500.00. 

NOTE  2. — Except  in  very  formal  commercial  letters  or 
in  legal  documents  in  which  it  is  important  that  numbers 
and  sums  of  money  be  spelled  out  to  prevent  misunder- 
standing, it  is  not  necessary  to  follow  a  spelled-out  sum 
with  the  sum  expressed  in  figures  within  parentheses,  as 
in  "Five  hundred  dollars  ($500)  shall  be  paid.  .  .  ."  And 
it  is  not  necessary  to  capitalize  the  first  letter  of  each 
word  of  the  sum. 

98 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

9.  Mixed  amounts  are  usually  written  in  figures,  as  in 
"His  balance  at  the  bank  is  $2,416.84-" 

10.  The  time  of  day  is  expressed  as  follows: 

a.  The  bell  will  ring  at  five  minutes  of  five.     [Not,  The  bell  will 
ring  at  5  minutes  of  5.] 

b.  The  bell  will  ring  at  4.55  p.m. 

11.  Ages  should  be  written  out  in  words. 

Example : 

He  is  forty-two  years  old. 

12.  A  fraction,  when  used  alone,  should  be  spelled  out, 
except  in  tabulations,  specifications,  and  the  like. 

Example : 

Only  one-fourth  of  the  shift  turned  up  for  work.     [Not,  Only  J^ 

of  the  shift  turned  up  for  work.] 

t 

NOTE. — If  your  machine  has  no  fraction  keys,  as  J^, 
3/£,  be  sure  to  leave  a  space  between  a  whole  number  and 
the  fraction;  or,  a  hyphen  may  be  used. 

Examples : 

4  1/2%,  4-1/2%. 

13.  Use  figures  for  numbers  designating  numbered  pages, 
rooms,  etc. 

Examples: 

Pages  4  and  5  are  missing. 

Send  these  to  the  McAlpin  Hotel,  Room  425. 

Folder  254  is  out. 

99 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

14.  Except  in  formal  letters,  it  is  not  advisable  to  spell 
out  the  number  of  the  day  or  of  the  year. 

Example : 

The  invoice  was  sent  on  July  15,  1920.    [Not  July  fifteen.] 

15.  Numbers  used  with  such  characters  as  %,  @,  #,  tf, 
and  with  such  abbreviations  as  ft.,  in.,  Ibs.,  bbls.,  and  bus. 
should  be  expressed  in  figures  as  follows:  5%  (not  five  %), 
4  ft.,  8  Ibs.  (or,  eight  pounds'). 

16.  In  writing  decimals  supply  a  cipher  if  there  is  no 
unit,  as  0.251. 

17.  Be  consistent.    Do  not,  in  one  part  of  your  letter, 
write  out  the  amount  or  number  and  in  another  part  use 
figures,  unless,  of  course,  the  cases  are  not  similar. 

Dividing  Words  at  the  Ends  of  the  Lines 

In  order  that  the  right-hand  margin  of  the  letter  or 
other  typed  matter  might  be  as  regular  as  possible,  the 
stenographer  is  constantly  compelled  to  divide  words  at 
the  ends  of  the  lines.  For  this  reason,  and  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  incorrect  division  of  words  makes  reading 
difficult  for  the  reader,  she  should  be  careful  of  the'  way 
in  which  she  divides  such  words.  The  following  sugges- 
tions, accordingly,  may  be  helpful: 

1.  In  dividing  a  word  at  the  end  of  a  line,  indicate  the 
connection  of  the  parts  by  placing  a  hyphen  at  the  end 
of  that  line.     Never  place  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  next 
line. 

2.  Avoid   unnecessary   division   of   words.     Whenever 

100 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

consistent  with  good  spacing,  type  the  whole  word  on 
that  line  or  carry  it  over  to  the  next  line.  If  possible, 
do  not  divide  words  at  the  ends  of  two  or  more  consecutive 
lines. 

3.  Unless  absolutely  necessary,  do  not  divide  amounts 
or  numbers  expressed  in  figures,  as  $5,214-17,  and  14,156 
[sq.  miles];    nor  names  of  persons  or  places,  as  Johnson 
and  Watertown;    nor  the  initials  of  a  name,  as  W '.  S. 
[Smith];    nor  such  combinations  as  a.m.,  p.m.,  c.  o.  d.; 
nor  dates,  as  September  15. 

4.  Divide  a  word  between  syllables.    Correct  pronuncia- 
tion is  the  best  guide  to  follow  in  dividing  words;  it  is  better 
than  dividing  according  to  derivation. 

Examples: 

democ-racy,  not  demo-cracy;  knowl-edge,  not  know-ledge. 

5.-  So  far  as  is  compatible  with  proper  pronunciation 
and  good  spacing,  divide  according  to  meaning:  dis- 
pleasure is  better  than  displeas-ure;  school-master  is  better 
than  schoolmas-ter;  mani-fold  is  better  than  man-ifold. 

6.  Words  of  four  letters,  but  of  more  than  one  syllable, 
only  and  city,  for  examples,  should  not  be  divided;  words 
of  five  or  six  letters,  but  of  more  than  one  syllable,  oc-cur, 
of-fice,  and  rare-ly,  for  examples,  should  seldom  be  divided. 
Little  is  to  be  gained  by  dividing  such  words. 

7.  Do  not  divide  such  words  as  nothing,  also,  besides, 
over,  and  through;    nor  such  words  as  many,  reason,  and 
smoky.     A  division  of  such  words  is  likely  to  confuse  the 
reader. 

8  101 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

8.  Do  not  divide  words  pronounced  as  one  syllable, 
even  though  they  contain  more  than  one  vowel. 

Examples : 

sure,  worked,  fringe,  marked. 

Never  divide  before  -ed  unless  it  is  pronounced  as  a 
separate  syllable.    Right:   un-skilled,  not  unskill-ed. 

9.  When  two  or  more  consonants  come  between  vowels, 
the  division  is  made  according  to  the  following  rules — 
correct  pronunciation  governing,  of  course,  in  all  cases: 

a.  When  the  syllable  ends  with  a  consonant,  divide  between  con- 
sonants. 

Examples : 

advan-tage,  finan-cier,  foun-dation,  destruc-tive,  let-tcr. 

b.  When  the  consonants  belong  to  the  preceding  or  to  the  follow- 
lowing  syllable,  divide  accordingly. 

Examples : 

selling  (not  set-ling),  miss-ing  (not  mis-sing),  grasp-ing, 

firm-ness,  second-ly,  de-spair,  sti-fling,  pam-phlct. 

10.  Words  which  according  to  pronunciation  may  be 
divided  before  or  after  a  vowel  should  be  divided  after 
the  vowel. 

Examples: 

criti-cize  is  preferable  to  crit-icize,  medi-tative  to  mrd-itatire,  fraudu- 
lent to  fraud-ulent.  But  note  that  words  ending  in  able  and  ible 
are  exceptions:  read-able  is  preferable  to  reada-ble;  convert-ible  to 
convert  i-ble. 

11.  Do  not  divide  a  word  so  that  either  part  is  unpro- 
nounceable. 

Examples: 

ship-ment,  not  shipm-enl;    sal-vage,  not  salv-age;    mem-ber,  not 
memb-er;  illus-trat.cd,  not  iU».itr-titf<!. 
102 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

12.  Endeavor  to  divide  the  word  so  that  the  first  part 
suggests  what  the  rest  of  the  word  is  to  be.     Do  not 
divide  so  that  the  reader  is  led  to  infer  the  wrong  pro- 
nunciation. 

Examples: 

re-adjust,  not  read-just  (read  may  suggest  readable  or  reading}, 

plu-rality,  not  plural-ity;  hide-ous  suggests  a  word  like  hidebound, 

and  no  division  is  desirable;  and  ear-nest  is  hardly  recognizable  as 

earnest. 

13.  Avoid  dividing  a  word  after  or  before  a  single  letter. 

Examples : 

enor-mous  is  preferable  to  e-normous,  odious-ly  is  preferable  to 

o-diously,  bac-teria  is  preferable  to  bacteri-a,  pana-cea  to  panace-a. 

14.  Do  not  divide  the  last  word  of  a  paragraph  so  that 
the  next  line  consists  of  only  a  fragment  of  a  word. 

15.  Do  not  divide  words  between  pages. 

Compound  or  Hyphenated  Words 

It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  decide  whether  a  compound 
word  or  expression  should  be  spelled  as  one  word,  like 
steamship;  whether  it  should  be  hyphenated,  like  two- 
thirds;  or  whether  the  words  should  be  separate,  like 
public  opinion.  Often  it  is  possible  to  settle  the  point  by 
consulting  the  dictionary,  but  in  many  instances  the  com- 
pound expression  will  not  be  found  in  the  dictionary  and 
you  must  rely  upon  your  own  judgment. 

In  view  of  the  fact,  moreover,  that  current  usage  is  so 
varied,  and  that  often  (as  in  the  compounding  of  adjec- 
tive phrases  like  "a  well-to-do  man")  the  decision  depends 
upon  the  sense  of  the  dictated  matter,  no  rigid  rules  can 
be  given. 

103 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  chief 
purposes  of  hyphenation  are  to  make  the  meaning  clear  to 
the  reader.  In  this  connection,  note  the  difference  in 
meaning  between  a  crude  oilman  and  a  crude-oil  man; 
between  good  looking-glasses  and  good-looking  glasses;  be- 
tween the  new  stock-room  and  the  new-stock  room.  Hy- 
phenation is  also  used  to  avoid  certain  combinations  of 
letters  that  may  confuse  the  reader,  as  in  wall-like  (not 
walllike),  and  that  may  cause  trouble  in  the  pronunciation 
of  the  word,  as  in  co-ordinate  (not  coordinate). 

One  of  the  best  ways  by  which  to  acquire  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  this  subject  is  to  notice  the  usage  in  the  magazines 
and  newspapers  that  you  read.  The  following  sugges- 
tions, however,  may  be  of  assistance: 

NOTE. — Compound  words  are  formed  by  adding  to  a  complete 
word  one  or  more  independent  words,  as  "self-defense"  and 
"buttonhole";  by  adding  a  prefix,  as  in  "ex-mayor"  and  " sub- 
way";  or  by  adding  a  suffix,  as  in  "steel-/i%-e"  and  "hope/w/." 

1.  The  .hyphen   should   not  be   used   unless  clearness 
demands  it.    In  fact,  the  tendency  in  business  is  to  restrict 
its  use.    Many  business  houses  no  longer  hyphenate  such 
words  as  today,  tomorrow,  and  tonight,  though  conservative 
writers  still  retain  the  hyphen.     It  is  good  practice  to 
combine  as  one  word  closely  related  parts  that  have  been 
used  together  so  long  as  to  have  lost  their  separate  mean- 
ings or  have  come  to  stand  as  one  entity,  as  bondholder, 
bookkeeper,  taxpayer.     Loosely,  related  parts  (if  indepen- 
dent words)  should  be  written  as  separate  words,  as  de- 
partment store,  life  insurance  company,  card  index. 

2.  Words    compounded    with    man,    power,    ship   are 
usually   inseparable   units,   as  foreman,  workman,   horse- 
power, waterpower,  steamship,  airship. 

104 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

3.  Compound  adjectives  preceding  the  noun  they  modify 
are  usually  written  with  the  hyphen  to  express  one  attribute, 
as  law-abiding  citizen,  well-to-do  man,  well-informed  sales- 
man, eight-cylinder  car,  long-deferred  payment,  thirty-first 
order,   short-time  investment,   up-town  office,   cotton-and- 
wool  fabric,  hard-and-fast  rule. 

NOTE. — This  general  rule  also  governs  the  following  specific  cases: 

a.  Fractions  are  hyphenated,  as  in  one-tenth  interest;  a  two-thirds 
vote. 

b.  Numerals,  whether  expressed  in  words  or  in  figures,  used  in 
combination  with  another  modifier,  are  united  by  a  hyphen, 
as  in  a  two-story  house,  ten-cent  store,  a  6-inch  rope. 

4.  Compound  adjectives  used  as  predicate  adjectives 
are  usually  written  as  two  words. 

Examples: 

Our  salesman  is  well  informed  on  this  matter.- 

The  office  is  up  town. 

NOTE. — Observe  the  difference  in  compound  adjectives  in 
this  sentence: 

"His  well-deserved  success  in  the  chain-store  field  together 
with  his  recently  acquired  backing  enabled  him  to  organize 
a  corporation  that  is  now  well  known." 
But  note  the  hyphenation  in  such  commonly  used  com- 
binations as  those  shown  in  these  sentences: 
"His  action  was  ill-advised,"  "He  is  well-to-do" 

5.  Prefixes  and  suffixes  are  usually  joined  to  a  word 
without  the  use  of  a  hyphen. 

Examples : 

transatlantic,    resell,    sublet,    semiannual,    interstate,    threefold, 

brother/tood,  authorship,  ladylike. 

Exceptions: 

a.  In  general,  if  the  prefix  ends  and  the  word  begins  with  the  same 
105 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

vowel,  or  if  the  letter  following  the  prefix  is  a  capital,  use  tl:e 
hyphen,  as  in  anti-imperial,  anti-Knglixh,  unti-Hrilixh,  coordi- 
nate, re-elected. 

b.  Always  use  the  hyphen  after  ex,  as  in  ex-officer,  ex-Congress- 
man. 

c.  The  hyphen  is  generally  used  between  a  prefix  and  a  word  if 
the  combination  is  similar  to  another  in  form  but  dim-rent    in 
meaning. 

Examples: 

The  soldiers  were  re-formed  [formed  into  lines  again]. 

The  soldiers  were  reformed  [their  habits  were  amended]. 

He  re-presented  the  argument  [presented  it  again]. 

He  represented  his  company  at  the  convention  [he  performed 

the  duties  of]. 

d.  Use    the    hyphen    after    quasi,    as    in    quasi-contract,    quasi- 
corporation. 

e.  If  the  word  ends  with  doubled  letters  and  the  suffix  begins 
with  the  same  letter,  the  hyphen  may  generally  be  used,  as  in 
doll-like. 

6.  Points  of  the  compass  are  generally  written  as  one 
word,  as  southeast,  northwest.    But  when  one  of  the  words 
is  repeated,  use  the  hyphen,  as  south-southeast. 

7.  Civil  and  military  titles  composed  of  two  or  more 
words  may  be  hyphenated,  as  in  sergeant-at-arms,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, commander-in-chief.     [The  United  States 
Government  Style  Book,  1913,  p.  92,  attempts  to  stand- 
ardize practice  in  such  cases  and  gives  the  rule  "Omit 
the  hyphen  in  civil  and  military  titles,  as  Attorney  Gen- 
eral . . .  lieutenant  colonel,  etc."    The  trend  of  usage  seems 
to  favor  this  rule.] 

8.  Unusual  combinations  of  words  that  express  a  unity 
of  idea  are  commonly  hyphenated,  as  "take-ii-or-leaic-ii 
attitude,"  "bull-in-the-china-shop  activities." 

106 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Use  of  Abbreviations 

1.  As  a  general  rule  it  is  not  advisable  to  use  abbrevia- 
tions in  the  body  of  a  letter,  for  the  reader  may  not  under- 
stand the  abbreviation.     Exceptions  to  this  rule  are  such 
common  and  well-known  abbreviations  as  i.e.,  e.g.,  etc., 
and  a.m. 

2.  Do  not  capitalize  abbreviations  unless  the  words 
themselves  are  properly  capitalized;    for  examples,  use 
c.  o.  d.  instead  of  C.  0.  D.,  a.m.,  instead  of  A.M.;  but  A.D 
is  properly  capitalized  and  so  are  C.P.A.  (Certified  Public 
Accountant),  B.A.  (Bachelor  of  Arts),  C.  P.  R.  (Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad). 

3.  Do  not  abbreviate  Christian  names,   as   Chas.  for 
Charles,  Wm.  for  William.    Either  use  the  full  initials  or 
spell  out  the  name,  as  C.  T.  Brown  or  Charles  T.  Brown. 

4.  Most  abbreviations  are  followed  by  a  period.     But  if 
the  abbreviation  is  a  contraction,   like  reed  and  ass'n 
(association),  the  apostrophe  is  used  to  show  that  letters 
are  omitted.     The  period  is  not  needed.     (See  pages  151 
and  152,  rules  1  and  2.) 

5.  The  period  that  indicates  an  abbreviation  may  be 
used  with  any  other  punctuation  mark,  but  not  with 
another  period. 

Right :  The  goods  were  sent  c.  o.  d.,  for  their  credit  rating  was  not 

good. 
Right:  We  delivered  the  package  to  215  West  10th  St.     (Not 

West  10th  St..) 

6.  The  plural  of  most  abbreviations  is  formed  by  add- 
ing s. 

107 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Examples: 

bldgs.,  hrs.,  mfrs.,  bbls.,  Ibs. 

NOTE. — The  plural  of  B/L  is  written  Bs/L  and  also  B/Ls. 

The  former  seems  to  be  the  more  logical  form. 

7.  The  authorized  forms  for  O.K.  are:  O.K.'d,  O.K.ing, 
O.K.'s. 

8.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  more  common  abbreviations 
and  their  meanings : 


abst.    abstract 

acct.  or  a/c    account 

A.  D.     In  the  year  of  our  Lord 

(Since  the  birth  of  Christ) 
ad  inf.     (ad  infmitum),   without 

end 
ad    int.    (ad     interim),     in     the 

meantime 

ad  lib.     (ad  libitum),  at  pleasure 
admr.    administrator 
admrx.     administratrix 
ad  vol.     (ad  valorem),  according 

to  value 

adttt.  or  ad.    advertisement 
ni.it.     agent 

A.M.  or  a.m.    forenoon 
unit,     amount 
anon,    anonymous 
ana.    answer 
apt.    apartment 
art.    article 
a/»    account  sales 
asm.    association 
d.^-t.     assistant 
asstd.    assorted 
ntt.    attention 
fir.     average 
Ave.    avenue 
Al    first  class 


bal. 
b.b. 
bbl. 
bdl. 
bds. 
B.  C. 


balance 
bill  book 
barrel 
bundle 
boards 
Before  Christ 


b/e  or  6.  e.    bill  of  exchange 

I  x.1*.     bags 

bk.    bank;  bark;  book 

bkt.     basket 

B/L  or  b/l    bill  of  lading 

bldg.     building 

Uk.    black 

Us.     bales 

b.m.    board  measure. 

b.  o.    buyer's  option 
Bro(s).     Brother  (Brothers) 
bu.     bushel 

B/P    Bills  payable 
B/R    Bills  receivable 
B/S    bill  of  sale 
bx.    box 

c.  or  cts.    cents 

c.  a.  d.     cash  against  documents 
c.  a.  f.    cost  and  freight 
cap.    capital 
c.  b.    cash  book 
cf.    compare 


108 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


chap,     chapter 

chgd.    charged 

c.i.f.     cost,  insurance,  freight 

c.  I.     carload  lots 

Co.     company 

C/0  or  c/o    care  of 

C.  0,  D.  or  c.  o.  d.    cash  on  delivery 
cr.     creditor 

c/r    company's  risk 
c/s  or  cs.     cases 
ctg.    cartage 

c.  w.  o.     cash  with  order 
cwt.    hundredweight 

d.  pence 

dbk.     drawback 

d.d.     day's  date;    days  after  date 

d.  &  w.  t.  f.     daily  and  weekly  till 

forbidden 
deb.     debenture 
dept.     department 
dfl.     draft 
disct.     discount 
div.     dividend 
d/o    delivery  order 
do.     ditto  (the  same) 
doz.     dozen 
dr.     debtor 
d.s.     days  after  sight 
ds.     days 

D.  V.     God  willing 
dwt.    pennyweight 

ea.    each 
ed.     editor 

e.  e.     errors  excepted 

e.   &  o.  e.     errors  and  omissions 

excepted 

e.  g.    for  example 
Eng.     English 
e.  o.  d.    every  other  day 


e.  o.  m.    end  of  month 

et  al.    and  others 

etc.     et  cetera  (and  so  forth) 

et  seq.    and  the  following 

ex.    example 

exch.  or  ex.     exchange 

ex  cp.     without  coupon 

ex  div.  or  xd.     without  dividend 

exp.    expense 

exp.     express 

/.  a.  a.     free  of  all  average 

/.  o.  g.    fair  average  quality 

/.  a.  «.     free  aside  ship 

/.  or  fol.    folio 

fcp.     foolscap 

fig.     figure 

F.  0.  B.  or  /.  o.  b.    free  on  board 

/.  o.  r.    free  on  road;  free  on  rail 

for'd    forward 

/.  o.  s.    free  on  steamer 

/.  o.  t .     free  on  truck 

Fr.    French 

fr.     francs 

frt.  or  fgt.     freight 

ft.     feet  or  foot 

g.  a.    general  average 

gal.    gallon 

gen.  or  gen  I    general 

g.  m.  q.     good  marketable  quality 

g.  t.  c.     good  till  canceled 

gr.  gro.     great  gross 

gro.     gross 

grs.    grains;  gross 

hdkf.     handkerchief 
hf.     half 
hhd.     hogshead 
h.  p.     horsepower 
hund.    hundred 


109 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


i.  6.    invoice  book 

ib.  or  ibid,    the  same;   from  the 

same  source 
id.    the  same 
i.  e.     that  is 
in.     inches 
Inc.     Incorporated 
ins.     insurance 

inat.    instant  (the  present  month) 
int.     interest 
inc.     invoice 
invt.     inventory 
/.  0.  U.    I  owe  you 

j/a    joint  account 
jour,    journal 
jr.    junior 

k.    carat 
kg.    keg 

Ib.    pound  or  pounds 

I.  c.  I.    less  than  carload  lota 

l/c    letter  of  credit 

/./.     ledger  folio 

/.  /.     long  ton 

Lid.  Limited  (With  name  of 
British  firm  it  signifies  a 
limited  liability  corpora- 
tion) 

M.    thousand 

m.  or  mm.     minute 

max.     maximum 

mdse.     merchandise 

mem.  or  memo,    memorandum 

mfd.     manufactured 

mfg.     manufacturing 

mfr.     manufacturer 

mgr.     manager 

tniii.     minimum 


m.  o.  money  order 

mss.  manuscripts 

m/s  months  after  sight 

iritg.  mortgage 

n.  b.    note  carefully 

n.  g.    no  good 

no.(.v)     numlier  (s) 

n.  o.  p.     not  otherwise  provided 

for 
N.  P.    Notary  Public 

o/d    on  demand 

0,  e.    omissions  excepted 

0.  K.    all  correct 

o.  r.    owner's  risk 

oz.    ounce  or  ounces 

p.  (pp.)     page  (pages) 

p.  &  I.     profit  and  loss 

p.  b.  x.     private  board  excnange 

payt.     payment 

p.  c.    per  cent 

pc.    piece 

pd.     paid 

pfd.     preferred 

pk.     peck 

pkg.    package 

P.M.  or  p.m.    afternoon 

P.  0.    post  office 

pr.    pair 

pref.    preferred 

pres.     president 

prin.     principal 

pro  tern,    for  the  time  being 

prox.    next  month 

P.  S.    postscript 


q.  e.  d.    which  was  to  DC  proved 
qr.     quarter;  quire 


110 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


qt. 
q.i 


quart 
which  see 


reed     received 

rear,     receiver 

reg.     registered 

R.  R.     railroad 

refd     returned 

r.  f.  d.     rural  free  delivery 

r.  s.  v.  p.     please  reply 

Ry.     railway 

s.     shillings 

s.  a.     subject  to  approval 

S/D     sight  draft 

sec.  or  secy,     secretary 

sh.     share 

shipt.     shipment 

sic  thus  (Ordinarily  bracketed 
in  a  quotation  to  certify  that 
the  preceding  word  is  accu- 
rately quoted) 

sq.     square 

sr.     senior 

s.s.     steamship 

St.    saint 

St.     street 

stet    restore 

star,     storage 

str.     steamer 

super,    superfine 

supt.     superintendent 

t.    ton 

t.  b.    trial  balance 


t/c     till  countermanded 

tcs.     tierces 

t.  f.     till  forbidden 

tel.     telegraph 

t.  m.  o.     telegraph  money  order 

ton.     tonnage 

tr.     transpose 

treas.     treasurer 

ult.     last  month 

ves.  vessel 

via  by  way  of 

vid.  see 

viz.  namely 

vol.  volume 

vs.  versus 

w/b    way  bill 
wk.    week 
wt.    weight 

yd.    yard 
yr.    year 

Commercial  Characters 

@    at 

a/c    account 

&    and 

%    per  cent 

c/o    care  of 

(5     cents 

$     dollars 

£    pound  sterling 

$    number 


9.  The  following  list  contains  the  proper  abbreviations 
of  the  names  of  states,  territories,  etc.,  according  to  the 
United  States  Style  Book.  If  no  abbreviation  is  recognized 
the  full  name  is  given. 

Ill 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Ala.  La.  Oreg. 

Alaska  Mass.  P.  I.   (Philippine  Islands) 

Ariz.  Md.  P.  R.  (Porto  Rico) 

Ark.  Me.  Pa. 

Cal.  Mich.  R.  I. 

Colo.  Minn.  S.  C. 

Conn.  Miss.  S.  Dak. 

D.  C.  Mo.  Samoa 

Del.  Mont.  Tenn. 

Fla.  N.  C.  Tex. 

Ga.  N.  Dak.  Utah 

Guam  N.  H.  Va. 

Hawaii  N.  J.  Virgin      Islands     of     the 

Idaho  N.  Mex.  United  States 

111.  N.  Y.  Vt. 

Ind.  Nebr.  W.  Va. 

Iowa  Nev.  Wash. 

Kans.  Ohio  Wis. 

Ky.  Okla.  Wyo. 

10.  The  generally  accepted  abbreviations  for  the  months 
and  days  of  the  week  are  as  follows: 

Months  Days 

Jan.          (May)  Sept.  Sun.          Thurs. 

Feb.          (June)  Oct.  Mon.         Fri. 

Mar.         (July)  Nov.  Tues.         Sat. 

Apr.         Aug.  Dec.  Wed. 

NOTE. — In  tables,  accounts,  and  wherever  matter  must 
be  greatly  condensed,  the  following  are  used,  but  they  are 
undesirable  elsewhere: 

Months  Days 

Ja.          My.        S.  Sn.         Th. 

F.  Je.          O.  M.         F. 

Mr.        Ju.          N.  Tu.        St. 

Ap.        Ag.         D.  W. 

112 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

After  You  Have  Finished  the   Work 

After  you  have  finished  the  work  go  over  it  carefully 
while  it  is  in  the  machine,  to  make  sure  that  you  have  not 
misspelled  or  transposed  letters  in  any  words.  If  you 
practice  this  safeguard  you  will  be  able  to  catch  errors 
that  otherwise  may  come  to  the  dictator's  attention. 


Chapter  VII 
Common  Misuses  of  Words 

ON  the  following  pages  you  will  find  listed  words  and 
phrases  that  are  commonly  misused  in  letters.  Read 
and  study  this  list  carefully,  for  you  will  find  that  this 
information  will  be  of  great  use  to  you  in  your  work. 

A,  an.  An  is  used  before  vowel  sounds;  a,  before  consonant  sounds. 
The  sound  of  a  first  letter  of  a  word  must  be  noticed,  for  a  conso- 
nant is  often  silent  and  the  word  really  begins  with  a  vowel  sound; 
on  the  other  hand,  some  letters  may  be  either  vowels  or  consonants, 
according  to  their  position,  and  hence  the  word  may  begin  seem- 
ingly with  a  vowel,  but  actually  begins  with  a  consonant.  Ex- 
amples: a  youth's  suit,  a  union  suit,  an  honor,  such  a  one,  a  humble 
letter. 

Accept,  except.  Accept  means  to  receive  vnth  a  consenting  mind,  as  in 
"They  accepted  the  goods."  Except  [verb]  means  to  exclude,  as 
in  "  We  want  you  to  except  the  last  clause  of  this  contract."  Except 
[preposition]  means  vnth  the  exception  of,  as  in  "We  found  every- 
thing except  the  box  of  lace." 

Affect,  effect.  Affect  means  to  influence,  as  in  "The  price  of  the  ma- 
terial was  greatly  affected  by  this  rumor."  Effect  [verb]  means  to 
accomplish,  to  bring  about,  to  cause,  as  in  "This  new  system  will 
effect  a  great  saving."  Effect  [noun]  means  result,  as  in  "The  effect 
of  the  dissolution  was  immediately  felt."  Affect  is  never  used  as 
a  noun.  Effect  is  used  both  as  a  verb  and  as  a  noun.  Affect  has 
another  meaning,  to  feign,  as  in  "lie  affected  surprise  at  my  state- 
ment." 

114 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Aggravate  should  never  be  used  for  annoy,  vex,  or  exasperate.  It  means 
to  make  worse,  as  in  "His  financial  difficulties  were  aggravated  by 
this  failure." 

All  ready,  already.  Already  is  an  adverb  and  means  by  this  time,  as  in 
"When  I  had  arrived,  the  business  had  already  been  completed." 
All  ready,  an  adjective  phrase,  means  wholly  ready,  prepared  in 
every  particular,  as  in  "We  are  all  ready  to  begin  negotiations  with 
you." 

All  right   should  never  be  written  alright. 

Almost,  most.  Almost  should  be  used  as  an  adverb;  most,  as  an  ad- 
jective or  noun.  "Most  all  the  employees  reported"  is  incorrect. 
Write  "Almost  all  the  employees  reported,"  or  "Most  of  the 
employees  reported."  [Most  is  also  used  as  an  adverb  to  form 
the  superlative,  as  hi  "The  most  beautiful  hat  in  stock."] 

Alternative,  choice.  Alternative  means  the  choice  between  only  two 
things. 

Correct:  One  of  three  courses.     [Not  "One  of  three  alter- 
natives."] 

He  was  given  his  alternative  of  these  two  courses  of 
action. 

He  had  his  choice  of  five  samples  at  the  same 
price. 

Among,  between.  Among  is  used  in  referring  to  more  than  two  things; 
between,  in  referring  to  two  only. 

Correct:  The  dissension  among  the  five  firms  arose  over  a 
matter  of  rebating. 

The  differences  between  the  two  departments  were 
soon  settled. 

Amount  should  not  be  used  for  number.  Do  not  say, "  A  large  amount 
of  people  came  to  the  store." 

Anyplace,  everyplace,  etc.     Use  in  any  place  or  anywhere,  etc.,  as  in 
"He  could  not  find  the  letter  anywhere  [not  anyplace]."     Or, 
"He  could  not  find  the  letter  in  any  place  [not  anyplace]." 
115 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Apt,  liable,  likely.  Apt,  usually  applied  to  persons,  implies  habitual 
tendency  or  natural  capability,  as  "He  is  apt  to  delay  action  on 
such  a  matter."  "He  is  apt  at  figures."  Apt,  sometimes  applied  to 
things,  is  used  in  the  sense  of  fitting,  appropriate,  as  "You  used  an 
apt  word  in  describing  him."  Liable  expresses  openness  to  some- 
thing disadvantageous;  it  suggests  danger,  as  "By  breaking  your 
contract,  you  have  become  liable  to  damages."  Likely  expresses 
probability,  as  in  "It  is  likely  [not  apt,  liable]  to  rain  to-morrow." 

As  ...  as,  so  ...  as.  So  ...  an  \s  used  in  negative  statements  instead 
of  as  ...  as. 

Correct:  The  catalogs  are  not  so  good  looking  as  you  said 
they  would  be. 

As,  like.  As  is  the  correct  word  when  a  verb  follows  or  is  understood 
to  follow.  "He  is  not  prompt  in  his  payments  like  we  are"  is  in- 
correct. It  should  be,  "He  is  not  prompt  in  his  payments  as  we 
are."  See  Like. 

As,  that.    As  should  never  be  confused  with  that.    "We  do  not  know 
as  we  can  do  that"  is  incorrect. 

At  about.  Drop  the  at.  "The  letter  was  mailed  at  about  two  o'clock" 
is  incorrect. 

Awful  should  not  be  used  loosely.  It  means  inspiring  urith  awe.  "He 
does  awful  work"  is  incorrect. 

Badly  should  not  be  used  for  very  much  or  a  great  deal.  "  We  want  badly 
to  have  you  come  to  see  us"  should  read  "We  want  very  much 
to  have  you  come  to  see  us." 

Balance,  remainder,  rest.  It  is  incorrect  to  say  "We  spent  the  balance 
of  the  day  at  his  office."  Balance  means  the  difference  between  the 
two  sides  of  an  account,  as  in  "Our  balance  at  the  bank  is  $2,514." 
We  say  "The  rest  [not  balance]  of  the  directors  stayed  in  the  room," 
and  "Kindly  send  the  remainder  [not  balance]  of  the  goods." 

Beside,  besides,  are  not  interchangeable.  Beside.t  means  in  addition  to, 
moreover,  as  in  "Besides  this  inducement,  we  can  offer  you  others." 
Beside  means  near,  close  to,  as  in  "His  desk  is  beside  the  entrance." 
Never  use  beside  of. 

116 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Best  of  any.     Do  not  use  best  or  any  other  superlative  with  any,  as  in 
the  following  sentences  marked  "Wrong": 

Wrong:  This  pencil-sharpener  is  the  best  of  any  I've  tried. 
Right :    This  pencil-sharpener  is  the  best  of  those  I've  tried. 


Wrong:  My  hats  are  the  most  stylish  of  any  manufactured  in 

America. 
Right:    My  hats  are  the  most  stylish  of  those  manufactured 

in  America. 

Blame  it  on  is  incorrectly  used  for  put  the  blame  on  or  blame.  Blame  a 
person  [direct  object]  for  a  thing;  do  not  blame  the  thing  [it]  on 
the  person. 

Both,  each.  Use  both  for  two  considered  jointly;  each,  for  one  of  two 
or  more. 

Correct:  Each  salesman  [not  both  salesmen]  was  presented 
with  a  watch. 

Each  jobber  [not  both  jobbers]  tried  to  cut  prices  on 
the  other. 

Bound,  determine.  Bound  refers  to  outside  compulsion.  Determine 
means  a  decision  made  by  a  person. 

Correct :  We  are  not  bound  by  law  to  pay  this  debt,  but  we 
are  determined  to  do  so. 

Bring,  carry,  fetch,  take.  These  words  have  different  meanings. 
Bring  suggests  motion  toward  the  speaker,  as  in  "Bring  me  that 
catalog."  Take  suggests  motion  away  from  the  speaker,  as  in 
"  Take  these  books  from  my  desk."  Fetch  suggests  going  away 
from  the  speaker  for  a  thing  and  returning  with  it.  Carry  suggests 
an  indefinite  motion. 

But.     Do  not  use  but  after  a  negative  in  the  sense  of  only. 
Wrong:  There  aren't  but  ten  boxes  left. 
Right:    There  are  but  ten  boxes  left. 

But  that  is  often  incorrectly  used  for  that. 

Correct:  We  have  no  doubt  that  [not  but  that]  you  sent  the 
full  dozen. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  [not  but  that]  you  overlooked 
this  fact. 
9  117 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

But  what  is  often  incorrectly  used  for  that,  but  that,  etc. 

Correct:  I  don't  know  but  that  [not  but  what]  he  is  right. 

I  don't  doubt  that  [not  but  wfuit]  he  will  try  it  again. 
There  is  no  salesman  who  does  not  iruike  [not  but 
what  makes;  not  but  who  makes]  some  errors  in  his 
report.  But  what  is  correctly  used  in  "  He  wrote  a 
long  letter,  but  what  he  said  was  not  important," 
and  "He  does  nothing  but  what  he  wants  to  do." 

Can,  may.  Can  denotes  power  or  ability  and  should  not  be  used  for 
may,  which  denotes  permission. 

Wrong:  Can  I  forward  these  suits  to  you? 
Right:    May  I  forward  these  suits  to  you? 

Cannot  but.  This  expression  should  not  be  used  interchangeably 
with  can  but,  as  the  two  expressions  differ  in  meaning.  The  ex- 
pression "We  can  but  try"  means  "All  we  can  do  is  to  try."  "  We 
cannot  but  try"  means  "We  cannot  help  trying." 

Can't  seem  is  a  vulgarism.    Write  "seem  unable"  or  "do  not  seem  able." 
Wrong:   I  can't  seem  to  get  it. 
Right:    I  seem  unable  to  get  it. 

Capacity,  ability.  Capacity  means  the  power  of  receiving.  It  has  refer- 
ence to  the  receptive  powers,  as  in  "He  has  the  capacity  to  learn." 
Ability  means  the  power  to  perform,  to  do.  It  has  reference  to 
the  active  exercise  of  our  faculties,  as  in  "He  has  the  ability  to  do 
this  work." 

Character,  reputation.  A  person's  character  is  his  real  nature;  hia 
reputation  is  his  supposed  nature. 

Common,  mutual.  Common  means  belonging  to  more  than  one.  Mutual 
means  interchanged,  reciprocal. 

Wrong:  Hawkins  and  I  had  a  mutual  purpose  in  calling  on 

Davis  &  Co. 
Right:    Hawkins  and  I  had  a  common  purpose  in  calling  on 

Davis  &  Co. 


Right:    Since  that  time,  George  and  I  have  had  a  mutual 
respect  for  each  other. 
118 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Consul,  council,  counsel.  A  consul  is  an  official  governmental  repre- 
sentative. A  council  is  an  assembly  convened  for  consultation  and 
advice.  Counsel  means  advice  or  a  legal  adviser. 

Custom,  habit.  Custom  means  an  action  voluntarily  repeated.  Habit 
means  a  tendency  to  repeat  a  certain  action  without  volition. 

Data  is  the  plural  of  datum.  Hence,  we  speak  of  these  [not  this]  data, 
and  say  "My  data  were  [not  was]  convincing." 

Deal  is  a  vulgarism  for  transaction,  arrangement,  agreement,  etc. 

Differ  from,  differ  with.  Persons,  things,  and  opinions  differ  from 
one  another;  persons  differ  in  opinion  with  one  another.  "I  differ 
from  him  in  attitude,  but  I  do  not  differ  with  him  with  regard  to  the 
final  action." 

Different  than.  "Our  paint  is  different  than  all  others"  is  incorrect. 
It  should  read  "Our  paint  is  different  from  all  others."  Different 
should  not  be  completed  by  a  than  clause,  but  always  by  a  from 
phrase. 

Directly  is  often  misused  for  as  soon  as,  as  in  "Directly  we  receive  your 
order  we  shall  ship  it."  This  should  read  "As  soon  as  we  receive 
your  order  we  shall  ship  it." 

Disagree  is  generally  followed  by  with,  not  from. 

Correct:  He  disagreed  with  me  over  the  terms  of  the  con- 
tract. 

Don't  is  a  contraction  of  do  not;  therefore,  it  is  ungrammatical  when 
used  with  a  subject  in  the  third  person  singular.  One  may  say 
"/  don't"  but  not  "He  don't."  Say  "He  doesn't." 

Due  to  should  not  be  used  unless  it  definitely  refers  to  a  noun.  It  is 
used  in  the  sense  of  attributable. 

Faulty:    He  succeeded,  due  to  his  persistence. 
Correct:  He  succeeded  because  of  his  persistence.     [Or,] 
His  success  was  due  to  his  persistence. 

Each  other  should  not  be  used  for  one  another.     Each  other  should  not 
be  use,d  unless  each  member  of  a  group  is  represented  as  in  a  cer- 
tain relation  to  every  other  member. 
119 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  The  changes  in  the  style  of  cloaks  to  be  worn  next 
year  are  rapidly  following  each  other. 

Right:  The  changes  in  the  style  of  cloaks  to  be  worn  next 
year  are  rapidly  following  one  another. 


Right:    The  two  members  of  the  firm  are   very  much 

devoted  to  each  other. 
Right:    In  this  crisis  we  have  decided  to  stand  by  each 

other. 

[Each  member  of  the  group  governed  by  the  word 

we  has  decided  to  stand  by  every  otfier  member.] 

Effect.     See  Affect. 

Either,  neither.  Either  and  neither  should  not  be  used  to  designate 
more  than  two  persons  or  things.  To  designate  one  of  three  or 
more,  write  any  one  or  none. 

Wrong:  The  firm  ordered  three  of  its  salesmen  to  report  on 

Friday,  but  neither  of  them  came  in. 

Right:    The  firm  ordered  three  of  its  salesmen  to  report  on 
Friday,  but  none  of  them  came  in. 

Else.     Write  "Somebody  else's  desk";  not  " Somebody's  else  desk." 

Enormity,  enormousness.  Enormity  has  reference  to  moral  quality; 
enormousness  to  size. 

Right:  He  does  not  realize  the  enormity  of  his  crime. 
Right:  The  enormousness  of  the  undertaking  did  not  affect 
them. 

Enthuse.    Not  in  good  use. 

Correct:  He  became  enthusiastic  [not  enthused]. 

The  sales  prospects  made  me  enthusiastic  [not 
enthused  me]. 

Everyplace.    See  Anyplace. 

Excellent  should  not  be  qualified;  it  is  superlative. 

Wrong:  This  proposition  is  most  excellent. 
Right:    This  proposition  is  excellent. 

Except  (verb).    See  Accept. 

120 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Except  (preposition)  should  not  be  used  as  a  conjunction. 

Wrong:  The  shippers  won't  do  that  except  you  ask  them. 
Right:    The  shippers  won't  do  that  unless  you  ask  them. 

Exceptional,  exceptionable.  Exceptional  means  forming  or  making  an 
exception,  out  of  the  ordinary.  Exceptionable  means  liable  to  ob- 
jection. 

Correct :  In  exceptional  cases,  we  do  allow  an  extra  discount 
of  2  per  cent. 

I  considered  his  manner  of  speaking  exceptionable. 
[Compare  with  "I  took  exception  to  his  manner  of 
speaking."] 

Expect,  suppose,  suspect.  Expect  means  to  entertain  at  least  a  slight 
belief  that  an  event  will  happen.  Suppose  means  to  believe,  to  receive 
as  true.  Suspect  means  to  mistrust,  to  imagine  that  something 
exists,  but  untliout  proof. 

Correct:  I  suppose  [not  expect]  that  is  so. 

I  expect  [not  suspect]  that  he  will  telephone  to  us. 
I  suspect  that  he  has  not  treated  us  fairly. 

Farther,  further.  Farther  refers  to  distance;  further,  to  that  which  is 
more  or  additional.  "We  wrote  no  thing  further."  "tie  is  farther 
from  his  source  of  supply  than  is  any  other  dealer." 

Fewer,  less.  Fewer  refers  to  number;  less,  to  amount,  degree, 
quantity,  etc. 

Correct:  The  fewer  [not  less]  accounts  we  have,  the  less 
money  we  shall  need. 

Find,  locate.  Find  means  to  come  upon  by  seeking.  Locate  means  to 
set  in  a  particular  place. 

Correct:  I  could  not  find  [not  locate]  you  in  your  office  yes- 
terday. 
We  shall  locate  our  store  in  New  Haven. 

Former,  latter.  Former  and  latter  should  not  be  used  to  designate  one 
of  more  than  two  persons  or  things.  For  designating  one  of  three 
or  more,  say  "first,"  "first-named,"  or  "last,"  "last-named." 

Got  is  very  often  misused.    "  What  has  that  got  to  do  with  it?  "  should  be 
"What  has  that  to  do  with  it?"    "We  have  got  to  leave"  should 
121 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

be  "We  are  obliged  to  leave."  "Have  you  got  timo?"  should  be 
"Have  you  time?"  "I  have  got  their  order"  is  correct  becau.M-  it 
means  "I  have  secured  their  order."  Got  should,  therefore,  not  be 
used  unless  the  intended  meaning  is  secured. 

Gotten  is  an  obsolete  form.    Say  got. 
Had  of.    See  Of. 

Had  ought.  Ought  is  never  used  with  an  auxiliary. 
Wrong:  He  had  ought  to  have  written. 
Right :  He  ought  to  have  written. 

Hanged,  hung.  Hanged  should  be  used  in  reference  only  to  an  execu- 
tion, as  in  "Hanged  on  the  gallows." 

Wrong:  Many  pictures  had  been  hanged  in  the  display 

window. 
Right :    Many  pictures  had  been  hung  in  the  display  window. 

Hardly.     Do  not  use  hardly  after  a  negative. 

Wrong:  We  couldn't  hardly  change  our  plans  now. 
Right:    We  could  hardly  change  our  plans  now. 

Have  got.     See  Got. 

Healthy,  healthful,  wholesome.  We  say  "a  healthy  [possessing  health] 
man";  "a  healthful  [conducive  to  health]  place";  "wholesome 
food." 

Help  should  not  be  used  for  employees,  workers,  etc. 

Imply,  infer.  Imply  means  virtually  to  include  or  virtually  to  mean,  as 
in  "  Your  attitude  implies  that  you  desire  to  break  your  contract." 
Infer  means  to  conclude,  to  deduce,  as  in  "  I  infer  from  your  attitude 
that  you  desire  to  break  your  contract." 

In  is  generally  incorrect  when  used  to  express  motion.     Use  into. 

Correct:  We  saw  him  just  as  he  stepped  into  [not  in]  the 
store. 

Infer.     See  Imply. 

lit 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Inside  of.    In  expressions  of  time,  say  within,  as  in  "  This  will  be  shipped 
within  four  days."     [Not  "inside  of  four  days."] 

Its,  it's.    The  -possessive  pronoun  is  its.    It's  is  the  abbreviation  of  it  is. 

Kind,  sort,  are  singular.   Do  not  say  "We  do  not  have  those  kind  of  books 
in  stock." 

Kind  of,  sort  of  (1)  should  not  be  followed  by  a  or  an. 

Wrong:  We  do  not  have  that  kind  of  an  engine. 
Right:    We  do  not  have  that  kind  of  engine. 


Wrong:  What  sort  of  a  man  is  he? 
Right :  What  sort  of  man  is  he? 

(2)  should  not  be  used  to  modify  verbs  or  adjectives; 

say  somewhat,  somehow,  or  rather. 

Wrong:  Business  is  sort  of  quiet. 
Right:  Business  is  rather  quiet. 
Correct :  I  rather  [not  kind  of]  thought  that  he  would  do  that. 

Kindly.     Be  careful  of  the  position  of  kindly. 

Wrong:  We  kindly  ask  that  you  let  us  know  by  return  mail. 
Right:    We  ask  that  you  kindly  let  us  know  by  return  mail. 

Lay,  lie,  are  frequently  confounded.     Lay  [to  put  down]  is  a  transitive 
verb  and  takes  an  object.     Lie  [to  recline]  is  an  intransitive  verb 
and  does  not  take  an  object.     The  principal  parts  are: 
Present  Past  Perfect 

I  lie  I  lay  I  have  lain 

I  lay  I  laid  I  have  laid 

Correct:  I  left  the  office  and  went  home  to  lie  down. 
He  laid  the  file  on  my  desk. 
Feeling  sick,  he  lay  down. 
Feeling  tired,  I  laid  the  books  on  the  table. 

Leave,  let.     Leave  means  to  abandon;  let  means  to  allow. 
Correct:  Let  [not  leave]  him  be. 

Let  [not  leave]  that  stand  as  it  is. 

Led,  lead.    Lead  is  commonly  misused  for  the  past  tense  [led]  of  to  lead. 

123 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Less.     See  Fewer. 
Liable.     See  Apt. 

Like  sometimes  means  similar  to,  as  in  "The  selling  plan  was  like  one 
of  which  we  had  heard  before."  "He  is  like  the  old  Mr.  Arth." 
Like,  in  the  sense  of  in  the  same  manner  as,  is  followed  by  a  noun 
or  a  pronoun  in  the  objective  case,  and  is  called  by  some  gram- 
marians an  adverb;  by  others,  a  preposition — e.g.,  "He  writes 
like  the  bookkeeper."  "  He  talks  like  me."  Like  should  never  be 
used  to  introduce  a  subject  with  a  verb;  use  as  or  as  if. 

Correct:  Do  this  as  [not  like]  we  want  you  to  do  it. 

Do  as  [not  like]  I  do. 

It  looks  as  if  [not  like]  it  may  snow  to-morrow. 

Likely.     See  Apt. 

Lose,  loose.     Loose  is  commonly  misused  for  lose. 

Correct :  If  we  lose  [not  loose]  this  sale  you  are  to  blame. 
Loose  means  to  untie,  to  set  free. 

Lot,  lots.  Lot  means  a  distinct  part  or  parcel.  Do  not  use  for  much 
or  many. 

Correct:  We  know  many  [not  lots  of]  business  concerns  that 
will  be  glad  to  buy  this  appliance. 

Majority,  plurality,  most.  Majority  means  more  than  half  the  whole 
number,  as  in  "The  majority  of  the  directors  favored  my  plan." 
[This  suggests  a  formal  count  of  votes.]  "Most  of  the  directors 
favored  my  plan."  [This  suggests  an  informal  test  of  opinion.] 
Use  most  for  the  greater  number  in  ordinary  cases,  when  a  technical 
majority  or  plurality  is  not  meant.  Majority  is  sometimes  used 
to  designate  the  number  by  which  votes  cast  for  one  candidate 
exceed  those  of  the  opposition,  as  in  "He  was  elected  treasurer 
by  a  majority  of  five  votes."  Plurality  designates  a  number  greater 
than  any  other  one  number  within  the  whole.  In  an  election,  A 
receives  612  votes;  B,  514  votes;  and  C,  230  votes.  A's  612  votes 
constitutes  a  plurality,  but  not  a  majority.  A's  plurality  [the  excess 
of  votes  over  the  nearest  competitor]  is  98  votes. 

May.    See  Can. 

124 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Might  of.     See  Of. 

Most.      See  Almost.      See  Majority. 

Much,  many.    Do  not  use  much  for  many.    Much  refers  to  quantity; 
many,  to  number. 

Wrong:  We  shipped  as  much  as  twenty-five  boxes. 
Right:    We  shipped  as  many  as  twenty-five  boxes. 

Much,  too,  very.  Do  not  use  too  or  very  with  participles  when  the  verbal 
idea  prevails.     Use  much,  too  much,  or  very  much. 

Wrong:  I  was  too  disturbed  to  take  any  action. 
Right:    I  was  too  much  disturbed  to  take  any  action. 


Wrong:  We  were  very  pleased  to  receive  your  letter. 
Right :    We  were  much  pleased  to  receive  your  letter. 

Must  of.     See  Of. 

Myself  is  an  intensive  or  reflexive  pronoun.  Do  not  use  it  when  the 
simple  personal  pronoun  [7  or  me]  will  suffice. 

Correct:  The  chief  engineer  and  /  [not  myself]  inspected  the 
factory. 
He  wrote  to  John  and  me  [not  myself]. 

Near  should  not  be  used  for  nearly. 

Wrong:  The  final  returns  from  this  bond  will  be  not  near 

so  much  as  from  the  other. 

Right:    The  final  returns  from  this  bond  will  be  not  nearly 
so  much  as  from  the  other. 

Neither.    Do  not  use  neither  with  reference  to  more  than  two  objects. 
Wrong:  Neither  of  the  four  applicants  came  to  the  office. 
Right:    Not  one  of  the  four  applicants  came  to  the  office. 

Notoriety,  notorious,  are  almost  always  used  in  an  ill  or  unfavorable 
sense,  as  in  "The  notoriety  of  his  crime"  and  "a  notorious  thief." 
Say  "a  business  man  of  note"  [not  a  notorious  business  man,  unless 
you  mean  "a  business  man  of  ill  repute"];  say  "much  publicity  was 
given  to  this  real-estate  transaction"  [not  notoriety,  unless  you 
mean  unpleasant  publicity]. 

125 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Of.  Could  of,  may  of,  might  of,  must  of,  should  of,  and  would  of  arc  illiterate 
vulgarisms  for  could  have,  may  have,  might  have,  must  have,  should 
have,  and  uoould  have. 

Off  of.     Of  is  unnecessary. 

Right:  When  we  took  the  cover  off  [not  off  of]  the  box,  we 
noticed  that  the  contents  seemed  to  be  damaged. 

One.     "Not  a  one  returned  to  work."    Omit  a. 

Ones.     Do  not  say  the  ones;  say  those. 

Wrong:  The  ones  we  have  received  are  shop-worn. 
Right :     Those  we  have  received  are  shop-worn. 

Only  is  very  commonly  misplaced,  so  that  the  real  meaning  is  not  clear. 
Place  only  next  to  the  word  or  phrase  to  be  qualified. 

He  only  signed  the  letter.     [He  did  not  dictate  it.] 

He  signed  only  the  letter.     [He  did  not  sign  anything  else.] 

Only  he  signed  the  letter.     [No  one  else  signed  it.] 

He  signed  the  letter  only.     [He  did  not  sign  anything  else.] 

Onto.     Upon,  or  some  equivalent  expression,  is  usually  preferable. 
Ought.    See  Had. 

Partial  may  mean  incomplete  or  biased.  Hence,  ambiguity  sometimes 
arises,  as  in  "  His  letter  contained  a  partial  statement  [incomplete? 
biased?]  of  the  accident."  Whenever  you  use  partial,  guard  against 
such  ambiguity. 

Party  means  a  person  or  group  of  persons  taking  part.  It  is  incorrectly 
used  to  mean  simply  a  person,  except  in  legal  phrases. 

Wrong:  The  party  who  ordered  the  samples  was  Fred  Jones. 
Right :    The  person  who  ordered  the  samples  was  Fred  Jones. 
Right:    The  contracting  parties  signed  the  lease. 
Right:    Each  party  to  the  contract  was  satisfied. 

Per  cent.,  percentage.      Per  cent  or  per  cent,  means  per  hundred.    Per- 
centage is  a  noun  meaning  rate  per  cent,  rate  per  hundred. 
Correct:  The  legal  rate  is  six  per  cent. 

In  addition  to  my  salary,  I  receive  a  percentage  [not 
per  cent]  on  all  sales. 
126 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Plenty  is  incorrect  when  used  as  an  adverb. 

Wrong:  He  is  plenty  good  for  us  and  should  be  for  you. 
Right:    He  is  good  enough  for  us  and  should  be  for  you. 

Plurality.     See  Majority. 

Posted.  Use  inform  instead.  Ledgers  are  posted.  "He  is  well  informed 
[not  posted]  on  that  point." 

Practicable,  practical.  Practicable  means  capable  of  being  put  into 
practice,  feasible.  It  is  never  used  of  persons,  but  of  things  only. 
"His  plan  is  practicable."  Practical,  used  of  persons,  means 
experienced  by  actual  practice,  as  in  "He  is  a  practical  man  in  the 
candy  business."  Practical,  used  of  things,  means  valuable  in  prac- 
tice, useful  as  opposed  to  theoretical,  as  in  "  He  has  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  this  business." 

Prefer  should  be  completed  by  to,  above,  or  before;  not  by  than,  or  rather 
than. 

Wrong:  I  prefer  this  style  of  hat  rather  than  that  style. 
Right:    I  prefer  this  style  of  hat  to  that  style. 


Wrong:  We  prefer  dealing  with  you  than  with  any  one  else. 
Right:    We  prefer  dealing  with  you  to  dealing  with  any  one 
else. 

Principal,  principle.  Principal  [noun]  means  a  leader  or  chief;  the  em- 
ployer of  one  who  acts  as  agent;  a  sum  on  which  interest  accrues. 
Principal  [adjective]  means  highest  in  character,  rank,  or  importance. 
Principle  is  used  only  as  a  noun  and  means  a  general  truth,  in- 
formation, or  belief. 

Correct :  The  principal  of  this  note  must  be  paid  by  January  8. 
He  is  the  principal  of  the  school. 
The  principal  man  is  the  Mayor. 
It  is  the  principle  of  the  case  which  interests  us. 

Propose  means  to  offer  for  consideration,  as  in  "I  proposed  that  we 
should  enter  the  candy  business."  Do  not  use  propose  for  intend 
or  purpose. 

Wrong:  I  propose  to  tell  you  the  whole  story. 

Right:    I  intend  to  tell  you  the  whole  story. 

127 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Proposition  means  a  thing  proposed  or  the  act  of  proposing.  Do  not  use 
for  work,  task,  problem,  project,  etc. 

Correct:  To  handle  these  forty  salesmen  is  a  hard  task  [not 
proposition}. 

Proven  should  not  be  used  except  as  an  adjective;  otherwise  use  proved. 

Provided,  providing.  Do  not  use  the  participle  providing  [meaning 
to  furnish]  in  place  of  the  conjunction  provided  [meaning  on  con- 
dition that,  if], 

Wrong:  Providing  the  firm  is  willing,  I  shall  be  glad  to 

handle  that. 

Right :    Provided  the  firm  is  willing,  I  shall  be  glad  to  handle 
that. 

Quantity  should  not  be  used  for  number.     See  Amount. 

Wrong :  We  have  had  a  large  quantity  of  suits  returned  to  us. 
Right:    We  have  had  a  large  number  of  suits  returned  to  us. 

Rarely  ever.     Do  not  use.     Say  rarely  or  hardly  ever. 
Wrong:  They  rarely  ever  act  as  agents. 
Right:    They  rarely  act  as  agents.     [Or,]  They  hardly  ever 
act  as  agents. 

Real.     Do  not  use  for  very. 

Wrong:  We  consider  this  a  real  good  offer. 
Right:    We  consider  this  a  very  good  offer. 

Reason  is,  the.  Such  an  expression  as  the  reason  is  should  not  be  com- 
pleted with  (1)  a  because  of  phrase,  as  in  "The  reason  he  did  not 
agree  to  the'eontract  vfas.because  of  their  impatience,"  (2)  a  because 
clause,  as  in  "The  reason  he  did  not  agree  to  the  contract  was 
because  they  were  impatient,"  (3)  a  due  to  phrase,  as  in  "The 
reason  he  did  not  agree  to  the  contract  was  due  to  their  im- 
patience." Complete  it  with  a  that  clause,  as  in  "  The  reason  he  did 
not  sell  was  that  the  price  offered  was  too  low." 

Same.    Do  not  use  for  it,  they,  etc.,  except  in  legal  or  quasi-legal  writing. 
Wrong:  We  have  received  your  order  and  shall  fill  tame 

within  five  days. 

Right:    We  have  received  your  order  and  shall  fill  it  within 
five  days. 

128 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  We  are  sending  you  two  extra  parts.  If  you  cannot 
use  the  same,  kindly  return  them  to  us. 

Right :  We  are  sending  you  two  extra  parts.  If  you  cannot 
use  them,  kindly  return  them  to  us. 

Scarcely.     Do  not  use  scarcely  after  a  negative. 

Wrong:  There  was  not  scarcely  five  dollars  in    the    cash 

register. 
Right :    There  was  scarcely  five  dollars  in  the  cash  register. 

Seem,  can't  seem.     See  Can't. 

Seldom  or  ever.    Used  incorrectly  for  seldom  or  never,  and  seldom  if  ever. 

Should  of.     See  Of. 

Show  up.    Vulgarly  used  in  the  sense  of  appear,  come,  be  present,  or  in 
the  sense  of  show  or  expose. 

Wrong:  He  showed  up  at  the  last  minute. 
Right:    He  appeared  at  the  last  minute. 


Wrong:  We  are  going  to  show  up  your  last  transaction. 
Right:    We  are  going  to  expose  your  last  transaction. 

Size.     Do  not  use  size  as  an  adjective;  use  sized  or  of  size. 

Wrong:  We  are  sure  that  you  can  use  these  larger  size 

plates. 

Right:    We  are  sure  that  you  can  use  these  larger  sized 
plates. 


Wrong:  We  have  in  stock  every  size  tire. 
Right:    We  have  in  stock  tires  of  every  size. 

Size  up.     Vulgarly  used  in  the  sense  of  judge,  estimate,  as  "  It  didn't 
take  long  to  size  him  up." 

Some  is  often  incorrectly  used  for  somewhat. 

Correct:  This  plot  of  land  is  somewhat  larger  than  French's. 
[Not  some  larger.] 

Some  place.     Misused  for  somewhere. 

Correct:  He  put  it  somewhere  [not  some  place], 
129 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Sort  of.      See  Kind  of. 

Such.  (1)  Do  not  use  who,  which,  or  ttiat  in  the  relative  clause  completing 
such;  use  as. 

Wrong:  He  offered  to  complete  the  transaction  under  such 

•    conditions  that  we  proposed. 
Wrong:  Such  officers  who  see  fit  should  sign  and  mail  the 

inclosed  card. 

(2)  When  such  is  completed  by  a  result  clause  use  that  alone, 
not  .-•"  that. 

Wrong:  We  are  bound  by  such  an  agreement  so  that  we  are 

unable  to  do  business  with  you. 

Right:     We  are  bound  by  such  an  agreement  that  we  are 
unable  to  do  business  with  you. 

Take  used  in  connection  with  other  verbs  is  sometimes  superfluous. 

Wrong:  Take  and  use  the  bottle  of  polish  which  we  are 

sending  to  you. 
Right :     Use  the  bottle  of  polish  which  we  are  sending  to  you. 

That  [relative  pronoun].     See  Who. 
That  there.     See  This  here. 

Therefore,  therefor,  are  often  confounded.  Therefore  means  for  that 
reason,  as  in  "As  we  have  carefully  tested  this  varnish  for  five 
years,  we  therefore  recommend  it  to  you."  Therefor  means  for  that, 
for  this,  for  it,  as  in  "The  party  of  the  second  part  agrees  to  pay 
therefor  the  sum  of  $500." 

These  here.     See  This  here. 
These  kind,  these  sort.    See  Kind. 

This  here,  these  here,  that  there,  those  there.  Do  not  use.  Say  this, 
these,  those,  or  that. 

Through.     Do  not  use  in  the  sense  of  finished,  left. 

Wrong:  We  are  not  through  with  the  construction  of  the 

building. 

Right:    We  have  not  finished  with  the  construction,  of  the 
building. 

ISO 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  He  got  through  with  us  in  April. 
Right:     He  left  us  in  April. 

Till,  until,  are  interchangeable  when  the  meaning  is  to  the  time  of. 

To  [preposition]  is  often  carelessly  used  for  too  [adverb]. 

Correct:  He  has  gone  too  [not  to]  far  in  this  matter. 

Too  alone  should  not  modify  a  past  participle,  as  in  "I  was  too  disturbed 
to  do  anything."  Insert  much.  See  Much. 

Transpire  is  not  correctly  used  in  the  sense  of  occur  or  happen.  It  means 
to  become  known. 

Wrong:  The  robbery  transpired  in  broad  daylight. 
Right:    The  robbery  occurred  in  broad  daylight. 

Unique  means  the  only  one  of  its  kind.    It  does  not  mean  odd  or  rare. 

Correct:  These  Japanese  prints  are  very  rare  [not  unique]. 
Unique  is  incapable  of  comparison.  We  cannot  say  "  These  wrist 
watches  are  most  unique." 

Up  should  not  be  used  with  such  words  as  divide,  finish,  open,  settle, 
write;  as  in  "He  finished  up  his  work  and  then  wrote  up  his 
report." 

Very  is  a  much  overworked  word.  Like  best,  it  has  lost  a  great  deal  of 
its  power.  See  Much,  also. 

Way  should  be  used  with  a  preposition. 

Wrong:  Why  did  you  act  that  way? 
Right:    Why  did  you  act  in  that  way? 

What.     See  But  what. 

Where  is  often  misused  for  that. 

Wrong:  I  saw  in  your  report  where  we  should  use  a  new 

system. 

Right:    I  saw  in  your  report  your  recommendation  that 
we  should  use  a  new  system. 

Which.    Do  not  use  which  to  refer  to  persons.    See  Who. 

131 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S   MAM  AL 

Wrong:  The  employees  which  signed  that  paper  ought  to 

be  discharged. 
Right :    The  employees  who  signed  that  paper  ought  to  be 

discharged. 

Who,  which,  that  [as  relative  pronouns].  Who  relates  usually  to  per- 
sons, as  in  "We  shall  send  our  attorney,  who  will  try  to  make  an 
agreement  with  you."  It  is  usually  better  to  use  which  in  referring 
to  animals.  Which  relates  to  animals  and  things,  as  in  "The 
cattle  which  we  shipped  you  should  have  been  looked  after  more 
carefully,"  "Some  of  the  books  which  we  received  were  damaged." 
That  relates  to  persons,  animals,  and  things,  as  in  "The  only  man 
that  can  do  this  kind  of  advertising  is  Frank  Worth,"  "Prices 
ruled  low  on  all  the  calves  that  we  sent  to  Chicago,"  "The  only 
point  that  you  should  remember  is  the  quality  of  this  silk."  Who 
and  which  introduce  both  restrictive  and  unrest rictive  clauses; 
that,  usually  a  restrictive  clause  only.  [See  page  139,  rule  18, 
notes  1  and  2.] 

Wholesome.     See  Healthy. 

Whose  is  the  possessive  case  of  who  and  not  of  which.  Do  not  use  it  in 
referring  to  inanimate  things. 

Wrong:  I  turned  to  the  next  page,  on  whose  margin  certain 

figures  had  been  written. 

Right:    I  turned  to  the  next  page,  on  the  margin  of  which 
certain  figures  had  been  written. 

Without  should  not  be  used  in  the  sense  of  unless. 

Wrong:  I  told  him  not  to  do  that  without  he  first  asked  me. 


Chapter  VIII 

How  to    Punctuate    and    Capitalize 
The  Ability  to  Punctuate  Correctly 

THE  ability  to  punctuate  correctly  is  an  essential  part 
of  the  general  ability  that  the  good  stenographer  must 
possess.  It  is  as  much  a  part  of  her  stock  in  trade  as  is 
her  ability  to  take  dictation  in  shorthand.  This  statement 
is  true  because  of  the  fact  that  a  letter  which  is  incorrectly 
or  inadequately  punctuated  often  lacks  clearness  or  con- 
veys a  meaning  the  dictator  did  not  intend.  Hence,  the 
effect  of  incorrect  punctuating  may  offset  the  correct 
taking  of  dictation.  Consider  this  sentence,  taken  from  a 
letter:  "I  found  him  in  the  hallway  smoking  a  thing  I  do 
not  like  to  see."  What  the  dictator  had  in  mind  was 
this:  "I  found  him  in  the  hallway  smoking — a  thing  I  do 
not  like  to  see."  The  omission  of  the  dash  entirely 
changed  the  meaning.  And  here  is  another  example  show- 
ing how  the  omission  of  a  punctuation  mark  can  obscure 
the  meaning  of  a  sentence:  "As  he  refused  to  pay  his 
account  was  handed  to  our  attorneys  for  collection." 
A  comma  is  needed  after  "pay"  if  the  reader  is  to 
secure  the  correct  sense  when  he  reads  the  sentence 
the  first  time. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  many  dictators  do  not  dictate 
the  punctuation  to  go  into  the  letter,  it  is  necessary  that 
10  133 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

the  stenographer  be  able  to  supply  the  proper  punctua- 
tion. To  do  this  so  that  the  dictator's  meaning  will  be 
correctly  and  exactly  set  forth,  the  stenographer  must 
have  at  her  finger  tips  such  a  ready  command  of  punctua- 
tion that  she  can  insert  just  the  right  marks  while  she  is 
taking  the  dictation.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  do  this  cor- 
rectly after  the  dictation,  for  by  that  time  she  may  have 
forgotten  the  sense  of  the  dictation,  the  pauses  and  in- 
tonations of  the  dictator,  and  the  other  matters  which 
at  the  time  of  dictation  will  tell  her  how  this  sentence  and 
that  sentence  should  be  punctuated. 

What  Punctuation  Is 

Punctuation  is  a  device  for  indicating  to  the  reader  the 
exact  meaning,  sense,  and  emphasis  of  the  writer's  thought. 
It  helps  to  suggest  pauses,  inflections,  and  intonations  that 
in  speaking  are  so  useful  in  making  thoughts  clear.  In 
some  instances  (abbreviations,  for  example)  the  rules  are 
binding;  in  other  instances,  the  rules  permit  of  the  use 
of  personal  judgment.  But  in  order  to  exercise  your  judg- 
ment wisely  you  should  know,  and  know  well,  the  precise 
result  in  meaning  that  is  secured  by  the  use  of  the  various 
punctuation  marks.  Study  the  following  rules  and  master 
them — not  in  a  mechanical  way,  but  in  a  way  that  will 
help  you  to  indicate  unmistakably  to  the  reader  the  dic- 
tator's exact  meaning. 

Uses  of  the  Comma  (,) 

1.  The  comma  (,)  indicates  the  smallest  degree  of 
separation.  It  suggests  that  the  thought  is  still  unfinished 
and  that  the  words  which  follow  are  closely  related  with 
those  which  precede^ 

134 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

2.  To  separate  long  numbers  for  quick  and  easy  com- 
prehension, use  commas  to  divide  the  figures  into  groups 
of  threes.    The  division  begins  at  the  end  of  the  numbe^r, 
or  at  the  decimal  point,  if  there  is  one,  and  proceeds  to 
the  left. 

Right:  84,107,932 
Right:  $73,666.67 

NOTE. — It  is  good  practice  not  to  use  commas  to  divide 
into  groups  of  threes  the  serial  numbers  of  bonds,  stocks, 
insurance  policies,  etc. 

Three  8%  U.  S.  Rubber  Co.  debenture  bonds,  numbered  respec- 
tively A34685,  A34686,  and  A28690. 

3.  After  the  salutation  of  a  letter,  use  the  colon  or 
comma. 

Right:  Dear  Sir: 
Dear  John, 

4.  To  indicate  the  omission  of  words  that  can  easily 
be  supplied  by  the  reader  [called   an   ellipsis],   use  the 
comma. 

Right:  Price,  $2.50 

Right:  Some  of  the   ooxes  were  snipped  yesterday;    the  rest, 
to-day. 

5.  After  each  of  a  series  of  words  or  phrases  in  the  same 
construction,  unless  they  are  all  connected  by  conjunctions, 
use  a  comma. 

Right :  The  colors  are  red,  white,  and  blue. 

NOTE. — The  comma  is  sometimes  omitted  between  the 
last  two  members  of  the  series  when  the  conjunction  and 

135 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

is  used,  but  the  safer  practice  is  to  insert  it.  For  example, 
in  such  a  series  as  "Omelettes:  plain,  jelly,  ham,  Spanish 
o^nion  and  cheese,"  it  is  easy  to  misinterpret  the  last- 
named  varieties  as  a  single  combination.  A  comma  after 
the  word  "onion"  prevents  this  mistake. 

6.  Between  the  members  of  a  series  of  adjectives  or 
adverbs  that  are  co-ordinate  in  construction,   equal   in 
value,  and  not  connected  by  conjunctions,  use  commas. 

Right:  She  is  a  willing,  steady  worker. 
Right:  We  have  shipped  a  large  open  boat. 

[Here   the   adjectives   are   not   co-ordinate   in   thought; 

"open"  modifies  "boat";    "large"  further  modifies  the 

general  term  "open  boat."] 
Right:  Send  me  a  sample  of  pure  white  Castile  soap. 

[Each  of  these  adjectives  limits  to  a  smaller  group  the 

general  group  indicated  by  all  the  words  that  follow.] 

NOTE. — To  determine  whether  adjectives  or  adverbs 
are  co-ordinate  and  equal,  see  whether  their  order  might 
properly  be  changed  and  whether  they  might  properly  be 
connected  by  the  conjunction  "and." 

7.  To  set  off  a  noun  used  in  apposition  with,  or  in  ex- 
planation of,  another  noun  or  pronoun,  use  commas. 

Right:  You  will  understand,  Mr.  Fall,  that  we  have  done  our 

best  in  this  matter. 
Right:  He  stayed  at  our  headquarters,  the  Hotel  Astor. 

8.  To  separate  the  elements  of  a  date  or  address,  use  the 
comma. 

Right:  Springfield,  Mass. 
Right:  January  12,  1921. 

136 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

NOTE. — In  England  it  is  customary  to  set  off  the  name 
of  the  month  from  the  number  of  the  day,  as  "January, 
12,  1921." 

9.  Commas  are  unnecessary  at  the  ends  of  the  lines 
composing  an  inside  address  or  envelope  superscription, 
although  the  more  conservative  practice   is  to  include 
them  there.     The  tendency  in  business,  however,  is  to 
omit  punctuation  where  separations  are  made  by  other 
means. 

10.  To  set  off  from  the  rest  of  the  sentence  any  con- 
nective that  breaks  the  continuity  of  thought,  especially 
the  adverbs  however,  too,  perhaps,  and  indeed,  use  commas. 

Right:  Your  first  letter,  however,  has  not  reached  us. 

NOTE. — The  ordinary  conjunctives  at  the  beginning  of 
the  sentence  do  not  require  to  be  set  off  in  this  way. 

11.  To  set  off  a  descriptive  or  explanatory  participial 
phrase,  or  any  absolute  participial  phrase,  use  commas. 

Right:  Denying  that  he  was  responsible  for  the  loss,  he  refused 

to  pay. 
Right:  Our  factory  being  oversold,  we  are  unable  to  accept  your 

order. 

12.  To  separate  from  the  context  any  short  quotation 
introduced  directly,  but  informally,  as  the  words  of  a 
speaker,   use  commas  with  the  quotation  marks.     [But 
see  page  150,  rule  2.] 

Right:  When  we  read  in  his  letter,  "I  shall  be  sure  to  send  word 
on  Friday,"  we  awaited  his  message. 
137 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

NOTE. — For  long  quotations  formally  introduced  see 
page  144,  rule  6. 

13.  Use  a  comma  to  separate  any  two  sentence  elements 
that  might  be  misunderstood  if  read  together. 

Wrong:  Ever  since  we  have  refused  to  do  business  with  them. 
Right:    Ever  since,  we  have  refused  to  do  business  with  them. 


Right:    I  tell  you,  you  are  hurting  only  yourself  by  your  attitude. 
Right:    We  have  done  this,  not  because  it  is  our  policy,  but 

because  this  is  an  exceptional  case. 
Right:    You  should  have  taken  his  point  of  view,  not  your  own. 

NOTE. — A  declarative  sentence,  when  quoted  within  a 
sentence,  has  a  comma  at  the  end  instead  of  a  period.  A 
declarative  sentence  in  marks  of  parenthesis  usually  has 
no  other  punctuation  at  the  end. 

Right:  When  he  said,  "I  am  prepared  to  undertake  the  job," 
I  handed  over  the  contract  (this  was  according  to  your 
own  instructions)  and  he  signed  it. 

14.  A  short  dependent  clause  directly  following  its  in- 
dependent clause  and  closely  connected  with  it  is  not 
separated  from  it  by  any  punctuation  mark. 

Right:  His  plan  received  general  approval  although  it  was  still 
incomplete. 

NOTE. — In  case  either  clause  is  extremely  long,  the 
comma  may  be  used  to  separate  them. 

15.  A  dependent  clause  preceding  its  independent  clause 
is  usually  separated  from  it  by  a  comma. 

138 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Right:   Although  his  plan  was  incomplete,  it  received  general 
approval. 

16.  A  dependent  clause  which  breaks  the  continuity 
of  the  independent  clause  is  set  off  from  it  by  commas. 

Right:    His  plan,  although  it  was  incomplete,  received  general 
approval. 

17.  A  non-restrictive  relative  clause  introduced  by  who, 
which,  that,  and  similar  pronouns,  is  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  sentence  by  commas. 

Right:  Louis,  who  has  been  with  us  only  two  years,  is  our  best 
salesman. 

18.  A  restrictive  clause  is  not  separated  from  the  rest 
of  the  sentence. 

Right:  An  investment  which  nets  about  4%  is  what  I  am  looking 
for. 

NOTE  1. — The  following  test  may  be  used  to  decide 
whether  a  given  clause  or  phrase  is  restrictive  or  non- 
restrictive.  If  the  main  assertion  in  the  sentence  remains 
unchanged  in  meaning  and  can  stand  alone  when  the 
clause  or  phrase  is  omitted,  the  clause  or  phrase  is  non- 
restrictive.  If  the  main  assertion  of  the  sentence  is  in- 
complete and  cannot  stand  alone  in  meaning  unless  the 
clause  or  phrase  be  present,  the  clause  or  phrase  is  re- 
strictive. In  the  sentence,  "Louis,  who  has  been  with  us 
only  two  years,  is  our  best  salesman,"  the  clause  "who 
has  been  with  us  only  two  years"  may  be  omitted,  and  the 
main  assertion  is  unaffected,  namely,  "Louis  is  our  best 
salesman."  But  in  the  sentence  "An  investment  which 
nets  about  4%  is  what  I  am  looking  for,"  the  clause 

139 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S   MAM  AI, 

"which  nets  about  4%"  cannot  be  omitted  from  the 
sentence,  for  then  the  sentence  would  read,  "An  invest- 
ment is  what  I  am  looking  for,"  which  does  not  give  the 
real  meaning.  In  this  latter  case,  therefore,  the  clause;  is 
restrictive. 

NOTE  2. — That  almost  invariably  indicates  a  restrictive 
clause.  Who  and  which  may  indicate  either  a  restrictive 
or  a  non-restrictive  clause. 

19.  A  dependent  clause  that  is  essential  for  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  grammatical  construction  or  the  idea  of 
the  principal  clause  is  not  separated  from  it. 

Wrong:  I  said,  that  I  would  go. 
Right:    I  said  that  I  would  go. 

20.  Two  short  independent  clauses  connected  by  one 
of  the  simple  conjunctions,  such  as  and,  but,  or,  and  for, 
are  separated  by  the  comma. 

Bight:  We  are  entitled  to  this  privilege,  for  we  have  maintained 
an  average  balance  of  $500. 

NOTE. — No  comma  is  usually  needed  between  two 
parallel  predicates  having  the  same  subject  or  between 
two  very  short  clauses. 

Right:  We  are  entitled  to  this  discount  and  intend  to  have  it. 
Right:  You  want  it  and  you  shall  have  it. 

21.  Two  independent  clauses  not  connected  by  any 
conjunction  usually  require  some  other  mark  than  the 
comma.    Violation  of  this  rule  is  known  as  the  "comma 
fault."    The  only  exception  is  the  case  of  a  series  of  short 

140 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

independent  clauses,  parallel  in  form,  and  closely  con- 
nected in  idea. 

Wrong:  There  are  only  a  few  of  these    machines  left,  we  are 

selling  them  at  a  great  reduction. 
Right:     There  are  only  a  few  of  these  machines  left.     We  are 

selling  them  at  a  great  reduction. 


Right:    He  wrote,  he  telephoned,  he  telegraphed. 

Uses  of  the  Semicolon  (;) 

1.  The  semicolon  (;)  indicates  a  wider  degree  of  separa- 
tion than  does  the  comma,  usually  a  separation  between 
clauses. 

2.  Two   independent  clauses  that  are   co-ordinate   or 
contrasted  in  idea,  but  are  not  connected  by  a  conjunc- 
tion, are  usually  separated  by  a  semicolon. 

Right:  Ten  years  from  now  this  machine  will  not  be  in  the  scrap- 
heap;  it  will  be  running  as  smoothly  and  silently  as  it 
is  to-day. 

3.  Two  independent  clauses  joined  by  one  of  the  weaker 
or  less  common  connectives,  such  as  accordingly,  besides, 
hence,  however,  moreover,  nevertheless,  so,  still,  then,  there- 
fore, thus,  and  the  like,  are  separated  by  a  semicolon. 

Wrong:  This  camera  is  made  of  aluminum,  therefore  it  is  very 

light. 
Right:    This  camera  is  made  of  aluminum;   therefore  it  is  very 

light. 

Wrong:  You  see,  the  motor  had  too  much  oil,  then  it  heated  up 

and  smoked  like  a  volcano. 
Right:  You  see,  the  motor  had  too  much  oil;  then  it  heated  up 

and  smoked  like  a  volcano, 
141 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

4.  Two  independent  clauses  that  are  long  or  complex, 
and  contain  commas  themselves,  are  usually  separated  by 
the  semicolon,  even  when  joined  by  and  and  but. 

Right:  Although  every  precaution  was  taken  to  pack  the  goods 
carefully,  they  suffered  considerable  damage,  with  re- 
sulting loss  to  us;  and  unfortunately  this  state  of  affairs 
seems  likely  to  continue  indeflnitely. 

5.  Any  two  clauses  or  other  elements  of  a  complex  or 
compound   sentence   may  be   separated   by   semicolons, 
when  commas  would  not  make  their  relationship  clear. 

Right:  We  have  been  informed  that  he  has  refused  to  honor  his 
draft;  that  he  has  paid  none  of  his  bills,  although  here- 
tofore he  has  borne  a  good  reputation  in  this  respect; 
and  that  his  bank  account  is  greatly  depleted. 

Wrong:  If  we  had  your  territory,  we  should  sell  this  product  to 
every  banker,  and  merchant,  and  nobody  would  escape  us. 

Right:  If  we  had  your  territory,  we  should  sell  this  product  to 
every  banker  and  merchant;  and  nobody  would  escape  us. 

6.  Two  independent  clauses  connected  by  and,  but,  or 
one  of  the  other  common  conjunctions,  may  be  empha- 
sized by  using  the  semicolon  instead  of  the  comma  for 
separation.     [See  page  140,  rule  20.] 

Right:  The  books  have  been  audited;  but  the  error  has  not 
been  found. 


Uses  of  the  Colon  (:) 

1.  The  colon  (:)  indicates  a  still  wider  degree  of  separa- 
tion and  suggests  that  what  follows  is  equivalent  in  some 
way  to  what  precedes. 

142 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

2.  After  the  salutation  of  a  letter  the  colon  or  comma  is 
used. 

Gentlemen: 

3.  Between  the  hours  and  minutes    indicating  exact 
time,  use  the  colon. 

Right:  Your  train  leaves  at  9:45. 

4.  Between  two  independent  clauses  that  are  substan- 
tially equal  in  idea  and  that  are  not  joined  by  any  con- 
junction, the  colon  is  used.     This  rule  covers  the  many 
cases  in  which  the  first  clause  clearly  anticipates  and  points 
to  the  idea  of  the  second. 

Right:  A  man  is  judged  by  the  company  he  keeps:  to  be  in- 
cluded in  this  list  is  in  itself  a  proof  of  merit. 

Right:  There  can  be  only  one  reason  for  his  silence:  he  is  unable 
to  answer. 

5.  Any  series  of  clauses,  group  of  ideas,  or  enumera- 
tion that  is  connected  with  the  preceding  part  of  the  sen- 
tence by  such  expressions  as  namely,  that  is,  i.e.,  or  the  like, 
is  set  off  by  the  colon.     This  rule  holds  good  in  cases  where 
the  connective  is  not  expressed,  but  is  understood,  as  is 
usual  when  the  preceding  clause  ends  "as  follows."     [The 
rule  does  not  apply  to  cases  where  a  single  clause  follows 
the  connective;    in  such  cases  use  the  semicolon.     See 
page  142,  rule  4.] 

Right:  Up  to  the  present  time,  we  have  opened  five  new  ac- 
counts: namely,  the  Johnson  Company,  The  Smith 
Company,  The  White  Company,  The  Jones  Company, 
and  the  Stone-Black  Company. 

Right:  The  functions  of  modern  industry  may  be  divided  into 
three  parts,  as  follows:  producing,  marketing,  financing. 
143 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MAM'AL 

NOTE. — An  enumeration  following  the  colon  may  be 
very  long  and  consist  of  several  sentences  or  even  para- 
graphs. Wherever  each  item  can  be  written  as  a  clause  or 
sentence  it  is  preferable  to  make  a  separate  paragraph 
of  each  one,  and  to  separate  them  by  semicolons.  The 
last  one,  of  course,  ends  with  a  period. 

Right:  In  arranging  the  typography  of  a   page   the  following 
points  should  be  kept  in  mind: 

First,  see  that  the  type  matter  is  centered  slightly 
above  the  mathematical  center; 

Second,  see  that  the  margins  are  ample,  with  the 
widest  margin  at  the  bottom  and  the  next  widest 
at  the  top; 

Third,  see  that  the  type  is  easy  to  read,  and  that  the 
lines  are  not  more  than  four  and  one-half  inches  long. 

6.  After  a  word,  phrase,  or  clause  that  introduces  a 
long  quotation,  especially  one  that  contains  more  than 
one  sentence,  use  the  colon. 

I  quote  from  his  report:  "There  is  great  need  of  standardization 
in  our  letters.  In  one  day's  mail,  fourteen  different  styles  of 
make-up  were  discovered.  Many  of  these  were  correct,  but  a  few 
were  sadly  defective." 

NOTE. — Even  a  short  quotation  at  the  end  of  a  sentence 
may  be  preceded  by  a  colon  if  the  introduction  is  formal. 

Right:  These  were  his  exact  words:    "It  will  cost  at  least  two 
millions." 

Uses  of  the  Period  (.) 

1.  The  period  (.)  is  the  widest  mark  of  separation  and 
indicates  that  a  thought  has  been  completed. 

144 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

2.  After   every   complete   declarative   sentence   use   a 
period. 

Right:  This  work  will  have  my  personal  supervision. 

3.  For    extreme    emphasis    two    independent    clauses, 
whether  connected  by  conjunctions  or  not,  can  be  isolated 
and  written  as  two  separate  sentences.     The  period  here 
marks  the  widest  possible  degree  of  separation. 

Right:  He  promised  prompt  delivery.    But  I  did  not  believe  him. 

4.  After  abbreviations  that  arc  not  contractions,  use 
the  period. 

Right:  The  Ass'n  and  the  Co.  are  agreed  on  Mr.  John  Brown, 
M.  E.,  as  Sec'y  and  Treas. 

NOTE. — If  the  abbreviation  is  formed  by  the  omission 
of  letters  and  the  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate  the 
omission,  the  period  at  the  end  is  unnecessary. 

5.  Periods   are   unnecessary   after   numerals,   whether 
Roman  or  Arabic. 

Right:  In  Chapter  XX,  page  37,  the  author  discusses  this  question. 

Uses  of  the  Exclamation  Point  (!) 

1.  After  every  complete  exclamatory  sentence  use  an 
exclamation  mark. 

Right:  What  a  mistake  that  was! 

2.  Exclamations  are  not  always  grammatically  com- 
plete.    If  a  fragmentary  thought  is  intended  to  stand 

145 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

alone,  it  is  usually  best  to  consider  it  as  an  exclamation 
and  use  the  exclamation  mark. 

Right:   Twenty  dollars!    And  for  that!    Profiteering,  pure  and 
simple! 

3.  The  exclamation  mark  inclosed  in  parentheses  sug- 
gests irony. 

This  token  of  respect  (!)  was  received  in  silence. 


Uses  of  the  Dash  (— ) 

1.  The  dash  ( — )  indicates  abruptness  of  change  from 
one  idea  or  part  of  an  idea  to  another. 

2.  To  join  numbers  indicating  the  extremes  of  a  series 
that  includes  all  intervening  members,  use  the  dash. 

Right:  1914-1918  (This  indicates  a  period  of  time  beginning  in 
1914,  proceeding  through  1915,  1916,  and  1917,  and  end- 
ing in  1918.) 

Right:  Chapters  VII-XII 

3.  Parenthetical  phrases  or  clauses,  ordinarily  set  off 
by  commas  or  parentheses,  may  be  set  off  by  dashes  for 
greater  emphasis.    [This  device  is  frequently  overworked.] 

Right:  The  more  you  smoke  our  mixture — you  will  soon  find 
this  out — the  more  you  will  like  it.  [Compare  with  rule 
2,  page  148.] 

Right:  The  checking  device — our  new  feature — adds  much  to 
its  efficiency. 

4.  In  place  of  the  comma  in  any  of  its  functions  the 
dash  may  be  used  to  secure  abruptness  of  effect  and 
thereby  emphasize  the  ideas. 

146 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Right:  Down — down — down  have  gone  our  prices.  [Contrast 
the  effect  of  "Down,  down,  down  have  gone  our  prices," 
and  "Down!  Down!  Down  have  gone  our  prices!"] 

5.  To  secure  a  pause  before  an  important  word,  espe- 
cially at  the  end  of  a  sentence,  a  dash  may  be  used,  even 
though  no  mark  of  punctuation  is  ordinarily  required 
there. 

Right:  The  secret  of  our  success  is — service. 

6.  At  the  end  of  an  unfinished  statement,   whether 
grammatically  complete  or  not,  a  dash  may  be  used  to 
suggest  to  the  reader  the  fact  that  he  is  expected  to  sup- 
ply the  rest  of  the  idea  himself. 

Right:  It's  an  ill  wind — 
Right:  And  as  for  the  price — 

7.  To  secure  the  suggestion  of  haste  or  urgency,  a  series 
of  short  sentences  may  be  run  together,  separated  only 
by  dashes  instead  of  periods. 

Don't  miss  this  chance — to-morrow  may  be  too  late — decide 
now — sign  the  card  and  mail  it. 

8.  The  dash  is  used  before  a  word  that  sums  up  a  preced- 
ing part  of  the  sentence,  as  in  "His  stock  certificates,  his 
bonds,  his  insurance  policies — all  were  found  in  the  safe- 
deposit  box." 

Uses  of  Parentheses  (  ) 

1.  Parentheses  (  )  indicate  that  the  material  within 
them  is  merely  explanatory  and  might  have  been  omitted. 
If  read  aloud,  this  material  would  probably  be  spoken  as 

an  aside. 

147 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

2.  A  complete  sentence  or  independent  clause  inter- 
polated in  a  sentence  by  way  of  explanation  should  he 
set  off  by  marks  of  parenthesis.  [See  also  rule  3,  page  146.] 

Right:  If  you  will  take  up  this  question  with  Mr.  F.  W.  Banks 
(he  is  the  new  manager  of  our  Chicago  office),  we  believe 
that  he  will  be  able  to  remedy  the  trouble. 


Uses  of  Brackets  [  ] 

1.  Brackets  [  ]  are  similar  to  parentheses,  but  indicate 
that  the  material  within  is  independent  of  the  rest  of  the 
sentence  or  is  supplied  by  some  one  other  than  the  writer 
of  the  rest  of  the  passage,  as,  for  example,  an  editor. 

2.  Brackets  are  used  in  the  same  manner  as  paren- 
theses, but  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  material  inclosed 
was  inserted  by  some  one  other  than  the  author  of  the 
rest  of  the  passage.     In  business  messages  they  are  most 
commonly  used  in  quotations  to  explain  some  matter 
which  might  otherwise  be  obscure. 

Right:  This  was  your  promise:    "Next  month   [September]   I 
will  surely  send  you  a  check." 

NOTE. — The  comparatively  rare  use  of  brackets  in  busi- 
ness messages  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  many  type- 
writers do  not  have  these  marks. 

Uses  of  Quotation  Marks  ("  ") 

1.  Quotation  marks  ("  ")  indicate  that  the  material 
within  them  contains  the  exact  words  of  some  speaker  or 
writer,  whether  he  is  specifically  named  or  not. 

148 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Wrong:  They  telegraphed  that  "they  were  coming." 
Right:    They  telegraphed,  "We  are  coining." 

2.  In  an  indirect  quotation,  quotation  marks  are  not 
required,  but  may  be  used  to  emphasize  the  fact  that 
the  exact  words  of  a  speaker  are  repeated.     Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  place  within  the  quotation  marks  any 
words  not  actually  used  by  the  speaker. 

Wrong:  One  user  says  "that  his  maintenance  cost  was  less  than 

ten  dollars  for  two  years." 
Right:    One  user  says,  "My  maintenance  cost  was  less  than 

ten  dollars  for  two  years." 
Right:    One  user  says  that  his  maintenance  cost  was  less  than 

ten  dollars  for  two  years. 
Right      (more  emphatic):    One  user  says  that  his  maintenance 

cost  was  "less  than  ten  dollars  for  two  years." 

3.  Long  quotations,  covering  more  than  one  paragraph, 
should  have  quotation  marks  at  the  beginning  and  end 
of  the  whole  quotation  and  also  at  the  beginning  of  every 
paragraph.     This  method  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the 
quotation  is  continued1.     Formerly  it  was  the  custom  to 
repeat  the  quotation  marks  at  the  beginning  of  each  line, 
but  such  emphasis  is  rarely  needed  and  the  practice  is  no 
longer  common  except  in  messages  of  legal  or  quasi-legal 
character. 

Right:  Lord  &  Thomas  say: 

"I  have  wanted  to  write  you  for  some  time  in  apprecia- 
tion of  your  data  service.  I  find  it  of  threefold  value: 
first,  in  saving  much  time;  second,  in  bringing  to  my 
attention  the  work  of  many  bright  minds;  third,  in 
providing  a  ready  reference  on  numerous  trade,  adver- 
tising, and  economic  subjects.  We  keep  a  permanent 
file  of  your  bulletins  and  index  cards,  and  can  always 
call  on  our  librarian  for  helpful  data  bearing  on  the  sub- 
ject that  we  are  looking  for. 

"I  congratulate  you  on  the  success  you  are  having." 
11  149 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

4.  Single  quotation  marks  ('  ')  are  used  to  inclose  a 
speech  within  a  speech. 

Right:  He  wrote,  "I  have  seen  Mr.  John  Lewis,  who  said,  'Ship 
no  more  orders  until  I  let  you  know.' " 


Punctuation  of  Quoted  or  Parenthetical  Material 

1.  With  quotation  marks  other  marks  may  be  used. 
Even  here,  however,  only  one  other  mark  should  ac- 
company the  quotation  marks.  The  position  of  this 
depends  on  whether  it  belongs  to  the  quoted  material  only 
or  to  the  sentence  as  a  whole.  A  period  or  comma  always 
goes  within  the  quotes;  other  marks  go  outside  unless 
they  properly  belong  to  the  quoted  material 

Right:  Don't  say  "aint";  the  correct  form  is  "am  not." 


Wrong:  He  wrote,  "Where  did  you  get  that"? 
Right:    He  wrote,  "Where  did  you  get  that?" 


Wrong:  Did  you  say,  "Ship  at  once?" 
Right:    Did  you  say,  "Ship  at  once"? 


Wrong:  Did  he  write,  "We  accept."? 
Right:    Did  he  write,  "We  accept"? 


Wrong:  We  removed  the  sign,  "Fire  Sale!",  and  then  left. 
Right:    We  removed  the  sign,  "Fire  Sale!"  and  then  left. 

2.  A  question  or  exclamation  within  a  sentence,  whether 
directly  quoted  or  parenthetical,  retains  at  the  end  the 
same  mark  of  punctuation  it  would  have  if  it  stood  alone. 

Right:  When  he  inquired,  "How  soon  can  you  make  delivery?" 
I  immediately  wired  our  factory. 
150 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Right:  His  continual  promises  (Bad  luck  to  him!)  have  been 

continually  broken. 
Right:  The  question,  How  can  we  do  it?  still  remains  to  be 

answered. 

NOTE. — When  a  parenthesis  ends  a  sentence,  the  closing 
punctuation  mark  is  placed  outside  the  parenthesis,  unless 
the  pair  of  parentheses  incloses  a  whole  parenthetical 
expression. 

He  sent  the  letter  the  same  day  (April  3). 

This  point  is  fully  covered  by  the  contract.     (See  clause  15.) 

3.  An  indirect  quotation  of  a  question  or  exclamation 
does  not  retain  the  original  mark. 

Wrong:    He  asked  whether  this  could  be  done? 
Right:   He  asked  whether  this  could  be  done. 
Right:    He  asked,  "Can  this  be  done?" 

4.  To  separate  from  the  context  any  quoted  word  or 
short  phrase,  use  quotation  marks  only. 

Right:  We  introduce  no  "cut  and  dried"  system. 
Right:  Distinguish  between  "affect"  and  "effect." 


Uses  of  the  Apostrophe  (') 

1.  To  indicate  the  omission  of  letters  in  a  word,  as  in 
an  abbreviation,  use  the  apostrophe. 

Right:  We  will  join  the  Eastern  Ass'n  if  we  are  allowed  to. 

NOTE. — The  apostrophe,  in  forming  possessives,  really 
indicates  an  omission.    "John's  book"  is  a  contraction  of 

151 


TI I K  ST I vVOGRAPIIER'S  MANUA 1 , 

"John,  his  book."     [See  also  page  94  on  the  spelling  of 
possessives.] 

2.  Apostrophes  are  properly  omitted  from  abbreviations 
that  have  become  recognized  as   such  and   have  been 
established  by  usage. 

Mr..  Messrs.,  jr.,  Ky. 

NOTE. — No  apostrophe  is  required  in  any  abbreviation 
that  is  merely  a  contraction  of  a  word  with  no  letters 
omitted  from  the  part  that  remains.  When  an  apostrophe 
is  used  in  any  abbreviation  it  should  be  placed  where  the 
letters  were  omitted.  For  example,  advertisement  is  ab- 
breviated to  ad.  or  to  adv't,  not  ad'vt;  association  to  ass'n, 
not  as'sn.  Moreover,  if  an  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate 
the  omission  of  letters  in  a  contraction,  the  period  should 
not  be  used  after  the  contraction. 

Vrs  for  years,  disc't  for  discount,  for' d  tor  forward, 

3.  An  apostrophe  is  not  used  with  the  possessive  pro- 
nouns theirs,  ours,  yours,  his,  hers,  its.     Do  not  confuse 
the  pronoun  its  with  the  contraction  it's  (it  is}.     One,  used 
as  a  pronoun,  forms  its  possessive  case  in  the  regular  way, 
as,  one's. 

4.  To  indicate  the  plural  of  figures,  letters,  signs,  etc., 
use  the  apostrophe. 

Right:  He  had  only  three  5's  on  his  card. 
Right:  Cross  your  t's  and  dot  your  i's. 

NOTE. — Numbers  may  also  be  spelled  out,  as  follows: 
fives,  sixes,  ones  [see  page  95]. 

152 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

5.  The  apostrophe  is  used  to  indicate  the  omission  of 
figures  from  the  dates  of  the  century,  as  in  '96  for  1896. 


Uses  of  the  Question  Mark  (?) 

1.  After  every  complete  interrogatory  sentence  use  the 
question  mark. 

Right:  How  many  men  have  you  interviewed  to-day? 

NOTE. — After  the  rhetorical  question  or  "question  of 
courtesy,"  which  is  really  a  request,  a  period  is  used 
instead  of  a  question  mark. 

Right:  Will  you  kindly  take  care  of  this  for  us  at  your  early 
convenience. 

2.  The  question  mark  inclosed  in  parentheses  suggests 
doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the  preceding  expression. 

The  company  was  founded  in  1852  (?)  and  moved  to  Chicago  in 

1866. 

This  token  of  respect  (?)  was  received  in  silence. 


Uses  of  the  Hyphen  (-) 

1.  The  hyphen  (  -  )  is  used  to  indicate  that  the  word  or 
the  part  of  a  word  following  is  to  be  joined  with  the  pre- 
ceding word  or  part. 

2.  Use  the  hyphen  when  a  word  must  be  divided  at  the 
end  of  a  line.     [See  "Dividing  Words  at  the  Ends  of  the 

Lines,"  page  100.] 

153 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

3.  Use  the  hyphen  in  compounding  certain  words  or 
expressions.     [See  "Compound  or  Hyphenated  Words," 
page  103.] 

4.  Hyphens  are  now  omitted  from  many  words  formerly 
regarded  as  compounds. 

Goodby,  warlike,  semiannual. 

5.  Never  divide  a  word  except  at  the  end  of  a  syllable. 
The  hyphen  belongs  at  the  end  of  the  first  line,  not  at  the 
beginning  of  the  second. 

6.  To  save  repetition,  the  hyphen  may  be  used  in  a 
series  of  numbers  to  indicate  the  omission  of  the  first  part 
of  the  number,  as  in  "Coupons  were  clipped  from  bonds 
numbered  549210,  -11,-12,-13,-14" 

7.  Whenever,  to  save  repetition,  the  second  part  of  a 
hyphenated  compound  word  or  expression  is  omitted,  the 
hyphen  is  used  to  indicate  that  the  second  part  is  to 
follow. 

He  sold  all  of  his  two-  and  three-year-old  horses. 

The  left-  and  right-hand  sides  of  the  office  were  lined  with  desks. 


NOTE. — In  these  instances  be  sure  to  leave  a  space 
between  the  hyphen  and  "and." 

8.  To  secure  the  effect  of  deliberateness,  a  word  or 
phrase  may  be  spaced  out  with  hyphens. 

Consider  this  question  s-1-o-w-l-y  a-n-d  c-a-r-e-f-u-1-l-y. 
154 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

9.  To  give  the  effect  of  novelty  and  flippancy,  a  series 
of  related  words  may  be  compounded  by  the  use  of 
hyphens. 

This  is  a  cross-my-heart  once-in-a-lifetime  opportunity. 

Other  Punctuation 

1.  To  lay  stress  upon  a  word  that  is  not  otherwise 
emphasized,  underlining  may  be  used. 

We  will  let  you  be  the  judge. 

2.  To  indicate  the  omission  of  words  that  cannot  be 
supplied  by  the  reader,  and  that  are  not  considered  rele- 
vant or  necessary  to  his  understanding  of  the  passage, 
use  a  line  of  dots  (periods). 

Right:  He  reported:    "There  is  no  advantage  in  ordering  fuel 
...  at  present  prices." 

3.  Marks  of  punctuation,  with  the  exception  of  quota- 
tion marks,  should  never  come  at  the  beginning  of  a  line; 
they  belong  with  the  preceding  words  at  the  end  of  the 
preceding  line.    This  rule  holds  with  the  hyphen  used  at 
the  end  of  a  line  when  a  word  has  to  be  broken. 

Good  Style  in  Punctuation 

Punctuation  is  largely  a  matter  of  judgment,  but  a 
writer  should  be  consistent  in  his  practice.  He  should 
also  avoid  tendencies  which  are  contrary  to  those  of 
general  usage.  The  present  tendency  is  toward  a  loose 
system  in  which  marks  are  used  as  little  as  possible.  Too 
little  punctuation  is  dangerous  because  it  may  result  hi 

155 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

obscurity  or  ambiguity.  Too  much  punctuation,  on  the 
other  hand,  may  conceal  the  idea  and  retard  the  reader's 
progress.  The  safe  principle  is  to  avoid  using  a  mark 
unless  it  clarifies  or  re-enforces  the  idea. 

Double  punctuation,  such  as  the  comma  with  the  dash 
(, — ),  is  generally  to  be  avoided.  The  period  that  indi- 
cates an  abbreviation,  however,  may  be  used  with  any 
other  mark,  but  not  with  another  period. 

Cap  it  a  liza  tion 

1.  Capital  letters  are  an  important  device  for  securing 
emphasis.     By  their  size  and  contrast  to  the  small  letters 
they  help  to  call  attention  to  ideas  and  words  which  are 
regarded   as  important.     Usage  has  established  certain 
rules  of  capitalization,  but  there  is  still  room  for  the  exer- 
cise of  personal  judgment.     As  with  all  other  means  of 
emphasis,  the  value  of  capitals  lies  in  using  them  sparingly; 
too  much  emphasis  results  in  no  emphasis.     The  tendency 
of  modern  business  English  is  expressed  by  the  general 
rule:    When  in  doubt  do  not  capitalize. 

2.  Capitalize  the  first  word  of  every  sentence,  of  every 
complete  direct  quotation,  of  every  line  of  poetry,  and  of 
every  paragraph  (even  though  the  paragraph  consists  of 
a  clause). 

Right:  The  manager  wired,  "We  cannot  obtain  the  sugar." 
Right:  "You  will  see,"  he  asserted,  ''a  great  change." 

[The  second  part  of  an  interrupted  quotation  does  not 
have  a  capital  unless  it  is  a  word  that  would  be  capi- 
talized in  any  case.] 

NOTE. — In  formal  resolutions  capitalize  Whereas,  Re- 
solved, and  the  word  immediately  following  each  one,  as 

156 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

well  as  the  first  word  of  every  paragraph.  (Formal  reso- 
lutions are  usually  composed  in  a  single  sentence,  though 
they  may  occupy  pages.) 

3.  Capitalize  every  important  word  in  the  title  of  a 
book,  article,  periodical,  or  the  like. 

Right:  Imagination  in  Business;  At  the  Sign  of  the  Dollar; 
the  Saturday  Evening  Post;  the  Chicago  Tribune; 
The  Man  Who  Was. 

NOTE. — The  is  not  considered  a  part  of  the  title  in  the 
case  of  most  periodicals. 

4.  Capitalize  all  proper  names,   including  nicknames, 
and  all  words  derived  from  them. 

Right:  England,  English,  Paris,  Parisienne,  James,  Cecil  Rhodes, 
Northcliffe,  Dixie  Flyer,  Elizabethan,  Maid  of  Athens, 
Old  Man  Eloquent. 

NOTE  1. — Derivations  that  have  lost  their  suggestion  of 
the  individual  person  or  thing  are  not  capitalized.  For 
example:  china  (dishes),  dahlia,  pasteurize,  boycott. 

NOTE  2. — Foreign  names  like  de  Maupassant,  Van 
Dyke,  van  Dyke,  von  Liebig,  Le  Sage,  etc.,  should  be 
capitalized  according  to  the  practice  of  the  one  who  bears 
the  name,  provided  his  practice  is  ascertainable.  His 
precedent  is  particularly  important  in  addressing  letters 
to  him.  Arbitrary  rules  should  not  stand  in  the  way  of 
proper  courtesy.  In  general,  however,  all  prepositions 
except  von  may  be  capitalized  when  not  preceded  by  a 
forename,  initials,  or  title.  When  so  preceded  only  La, 
Le,  and  Van  are  usually  capitalized. 

157 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

5.  Capitalize  all  titles  of  office  or  distinction  when  used 
with  a  proper  name. 

Right:  Governor  Coolidge,  Sir  Thomas  Lipton,  Colonel  Scott, 
Senator  Underwood,  Lord  Byron,  Dean  Joseph  French 
Johnson,  LL.D. 

6.  Capitalize  names  of  oceans,  rivers,  streets,  churches, 
hotels,  and  similar  things  having  an  individuality  that 
can  be  identified.     Do  not  capitalize  the  general  word 
standing  for  a  class  of  objects. 

Right:  Atlantic  Ocean,  Hudson  River,  Fifth  Avenue,  Wall  Street, 
Hotel  Astor,  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  Rotary  Club,  League 
of  Nations,  Treaty  of  Versailles,  the  Republican  Party, 
the  Sixteenth  Amendment. 

Right:  Upon  the  river,  across  the  street,  going  to  church,  at 
his  club,  offered  an  amendment,  the  republican  form  of 
government. 

NOTE. — In  the  case  of  geographical  names  the  modern 
tendency  is  to  capitalize  only  the  specific  name.  For 
example:  Fifth  avenue,  Hudson  river,  Wall  st. 

7.  Capitalize  the  names  of  months  and  days.     Capi- 
talize the  names  of  seasons  when  referring  to  a  specific 
season,  but  not  when  referring  to  the  season  in  general. 
Capitalize  points  of  the  compass  when  referring  to  specific 
sections,  but  not  when  referring  to  directions. 

Right :  We  started  north  on  the  first  Monday  in  March. 

Right :  In  the  South  the  winter  is  mild. 

Right:  Our  worst  season  was  the  Winter  of  1918. 

8.  Capitalize  a  general  name,  such  as  those  included. in 
rule  6,  when  it  refers  definitely  to  a  specific  individual, 
even  though  that  individual  is  not  named. 

158 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Right :  The  King  is  dead.     Long  live  the  King. 

[But:  A  cat  may  look  at  a  king.] 

Right:  He  made  his  money  on  the  Street  [Wall  Street]. 
Right:  Just  off  the  Avenue  [Fifth  Avenue]. 
Right:  The  President  favors  this  amendment. 

9.  Capitalize  names  of  the  Deity,  and  personal  pro- 
nouns referring  to  the  Deity,  unless  the  name  immediately 
precedes. 

Right :  The  Lord  be  praised. 
Right:  Praised  be  His  name. 

NOTE. — Here  also  distinguish  between  names  of  the 
individual  and  names  of  the  general  class.  For  example: 
"The  Pilgrims  worshiped  God.  Their  descendants  have 
been  accused  of  worshiping  the  god  of  commercialism." 

10.  Capitalize  any  common  noun  used  by  personifi- 
cation as  a  proper  name. 

Right:  Our  people  are  ruled  by  Selfishness. 

11.  It  is  not  necessary  to  capitalize  a.m.  (before  noon), 
p.m.  (after  noon),  or  such  abbreviations  as  c.  o.  d.  (cash 
on  delivery),  b/l  (bill  of  lading);  in  fact,  the  general  trend 
is  toward  the  use  of  fewer  capitals. 

12.  The  abbreviations  Jr.    (Junior)    and   Sr.    (Senior) 
when  used  as  a  part  of  a  name  (Charles  M.  Niles,  Jr.)  may 
or  may  not  be  capitalized.    Newspaper  usage  is  generally 
to  use  a  small  letter,  as  Henry  B.  Stout,  jr. 

13.  Stress  may  be  increased  by  setting  a  word  entirely 
in  capitals. 

We  will  let  YOU  be  the  judge. 
159 


Chapter  IX 

Miscellaneous    Information 
Points  About  Telephoning 

IN  some  offices  it  is  a  part  of  the  stenographer's  duties 
to  handle  incoming  and  outgoing  telephone  calls.  If  such 
is  the  case  in  your  office,  the  following  points  may  increase 
your  efficiency: 

1.  Be  prompt  in  answering  the  call.     If  you  are  in  the 
midst  of  some  typing,  stop  your  work  immediately  and 
go  to  the  telephone.    A  delay  to  finish  a  few  more  words 
may  cause  the  loss  of  the  call.     Moreover,  it  is  not  cour- 
teous to  make  the  other  person  wait.     If  the  call  comes 
while  you  are  taking  dictation,  your  action  depends  upon 
your  knowledge  of  the  dictator.     Some  dictators  want  to 
finish  the  idea  they  have  started  on;   but  most  business 
men  appreciate  the  value  of  answering  a  call  promptly 
and  are  glad  to  see  you  prompt  in  this  respect.     In  any 
case,  excuse  yourself  to  the  dictator  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  answer  the  telephone. 

2.  Pick  up  the  receiver  with  your  left  hand  so  that  in 
case  you  need  to  write  down  a  message  you  can  do  so 
with  your  right  hand.     It  is  usually  advisable  to  have 
your  pencil  with  you  in  case  there  is  a  message,  and  it  is 

160 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

also  wise  to  have  a  pad  of  paper  handy.  It  is  rather 
annoying  to  the  other  person  to  be  compelled  to  wait 
while  you  are  trying  to  find  pencil  and  paper. 

3.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  "Hello."     It  is  preferable 
to  say  "Mr.  Blank's  office,"  or  "Blank  Company,"  or 
"Blank  Department,"  or  whatever  is  most  suitable  ac- 
cording to  your  experience.    Such  a  statement  immediately 
informs  the  listener  that  he  has  the  right  place. 

4.  Be  careful  of  your  voice.     It  is  not  necessary  to 
speak  loudly — in  fact,  a  low,   restrained  voice   is  more 
distinct  over  the  telephone  than  a  loud  voice.     Your  lips 
should  be  close  to  or  nearly  inside  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
transmitter.    Speak  slowly,  clearly,  and  with  every  word 
well  enunciated.     From  your  own  experience  you  know 
how  vexing  it  is  trying  to  understand  a  person  who  speaks 
indistinctly  over  the  telephone.     And  knowing  that,  you 
should  realize  the  value  of  speaking  distinctly.     If  the 
other  person  asks  you  to  repeat,  don't  shout,  for  shouting 
makes  the  matter  worse.     Try,  rather,  to  speak  more 
slowly,  enunciate  more  clearly,  and  speak  in  a  lower  tone. 
The  habit  of  slow,  deliberate,  careful  talking  must  be 
acquired. 

5.  Cultivate  the  tone  of  your  "telephone  voice."     Be 
careful  of  the  inflection  of  your  voice.     Don't  be  curt  or 
snappish.     Be  very  courteous  and  speak  gently.     You 
will  thus  make  the  telephoning  more  agreeable  to  the 
other  person.    A  pleasant  voice,  "a  voice  with  a  smile," 
is  of  great  value  in  telephoning,  for  it  shows  that  the 
listener's  feelings  are  being  considered,   and  it  aids  in 
transacting  the  business  quickly,  easily,  and  pleasantly 
for  both  persons. 

161 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

6.  If  the  other  person  wishes  to  have  you  take  down  a 
message,  make  sure  that  you  understand  it  and  that  you 
write  it  down  correctly.     If  a  name  is  unfamiliar  to  you, 
have  the  other  person  spell  it  out.     And  after  you  have 
finished,  read  back  the  message  to  make  certain  that  it  is 
correct.     If    you    have    trouble    in    understanding    the 
speaker,  don't  get  flurried,  but  keep  on  trying  to  get  the 
message. 

7.  All  messages  should  be  put  in  writing  immediately 
lest  they  be  forgotten  or  reported  incorrectly.     Put  down 
the  time  of  receipt  of  message  in  case  it  seems  important. 
And  then  see  that  the  message  is  given  to  the  proper 
person  or  that  it  is  placed  on  his  desk  where  he  will  be 
sure  to  find  it. 

8.  If  the  call  is  for  a  person  who  is  then  in  the  office, 
ask  for  the  name  of  the  caller  so  that  you  can  then  tell 
Mr.  Blank  that  Mr.  Dash  wishes  to  speak  to  him.     It 
sometimes  happens  that  Mr.  Blank  is  busy  and  is  unable 
to  come  to  the  'phone  just  then.     Explain  this  to  the 
caller  and  ask  him  whether  he  wishes  to  hold  the  wire, 
whether  he  will  call    again,  whether  he   will   leave  his 
telephone  number  so  that  Mr.  Blank  can  call  him,  or 
whether  he  wishes  to  give  you  the  message.     Take  the 
responsibility  upon  yourself  to  see  that  the  call  is  properly 
handled. 

9.  If  you  are  asked  to  get  a  certain  person  on  the 
'phone,  make  sure  that  you  get  him,  and  not  the  operator 
of  the  private  board  exchange.     When  you  get  him  on  the 
wire,   say:    "This   is   Mr.  Blank's  office  speaking.     Mr. 
Blank  wishes  to  speak  to  you."     And  then  get  Mr.  Blank 
to  take  up  the  receiver  promptly. 

162 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Telegrams 

Special  care  should  be  used  in  the  taking  of  dictation 
and  in  the  transcribing  of  telegrams,  for  a  small  mistake 
may  easily  cause  a  large  financial  loss  or  much  trouble. 

No  salutation  or  complimentary  close  is  used.  The 
entire  telegram  should  be  typed  in  capitals  and  with  no 
punctuation  marks.  The  use  of  punctuation  marks  is  a 
fruitful  cause  of  errors,  and  telegraph  companies  expressly 
state  that  they  will  not  be  responsible  for  the  correct 
transmitting  of  punctuation.  In  some  instances  where  it 
is  essential  that  the  message  should  be  punctuated,  the 
punctuation  mark  should  be  spelled  out,  as  follows: 

SEE  CLAUSE  FIVE  LAST  LINE  SHOULD  READ  QUOTES 
AND  COMMA  ALSO  COMMA  TWENTY-FIVE  PER  CENT 
IN  ADDITION  PERIOD  UNQUOTE  PLEASE  CHANGE 
BEFORE  SIGNING 

The  receiver  of  the  telegram  will  read  it  as  follows: 

See  clause  number  five.  Last  line  of  it  should  read  "and,  also, 
twenty-five  per  cent  in  addition."  Please  change  before  signing. 

Four  copies  of  the  telegram  should  usually  be  made: 
the  original  is  given  to  the  telegraph  company;  the  second 
is  sent  by  mail  to  the  person  addressed,  in  confirmation; 
the  third  is  sent  to  the  files;  and  the  fourth  is  sent  to  the 
cashier  or  bookkeeper,  to  be  used  in  checking  against  the 
bills  rendered  by  the  telegraph  company. 

Use  of  Proof  Marks  to  Indicate  Corrections 
or  Changes 

The  dictator  may  be  in  the  habit  of  indicating,  by  the 
use  of  proof  marks,  that  certain  corrections  or  changes  are 

163 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

to  be  made  in  the  typed  letter.  In  order  that  you  may 
know  the  kind  of  correction  or  change  desired,  the  follow- 
ing list  of  proof  marks  is  given: 

Mark       Mark 

in  in  Meaning 

Margin       Text 

— — .  A  line  under  a  word  or  letter  means  "  Capitalize." 

'•  C,,  /  A  line  drawn  through  a  capital  means  that  the 

letter  should  be  made  a  small  letter. 

\P  f  A  line  drawn  through  a  word  or  letter  means  that 

it  should  be  erased. 

A  line  of  dots  under  a  word  or  letter  means  that 
.•«•«  the  change  marked  was  wrong,  and  that  the  word 

or  letter  should  be  left  as  it  was. 


0    . 

A 

Indicates  an  insertion. 

*/ 

A 

Insert  the  letter  k. 

9U^ 

/A 

Insert  the  word  house. 

=/ 

A 

Insert  a  hyphen. 

0 

A 

Insert  a  period. 

^ 

A 

Insert  a  comma. 

Insert  a  superior  character,  such  as  quotation 
marks,  apostrophe,  etc. 

Insert  an  apostrophe. 

Bring  word  or  words  or  line  more  to  the  left 

Bring  word  or  words  or  line  more  to  the  right 
164 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 


Mark       Mark 

in  in 

Margin      Text 


Separate  words  or  letters. 
Bring  words  or  letters  together. 
Transpose  words  or  letters. 
New  paragraph. 

Continue  in  the  same  paragraph.     The  line  unites 
the  two  portions  of  the  text. 

Compare  with  copy.     Words  are  omitted. 


Our  sales  in  the  wast  nave  been  so  greatly  /ffeeted 
by  the  coal  strike  that  we  are  unable  to  f^j^o  what 
the  demand  will  be  in  the  /pring.     We  pref-er^tlierefoix, 
to  run  the  rial;  of-lo/sing  some  sales  to  overstocking 
ourselves.     Last  year  we Ignljj/hadl  twenty Atwo  of  your 
machines  left  unsold  on  our  hands,   but  this  year  ilfs 
apparent  that  we  shall  have  more  than  two  hundred. 


EXAMPLE    OF    PHOOF-READ    LETTER 


Our  sales  in  the  West  have  been  so  greatly  affected 
by  the  coal  strike  that  we  are  unable  to  gauge  what 
the  demand  will  be  in  the  spring.     We  prefer,   therefore, 
to  run  the  risk  of  losing  some  sales  to  overstocking 
ourselves.     Last  year  we  had  only  twenty- two  of  your 
machines  left  unsold  on  our  hands,   but  this  year  it' a 
apparent  that  we  shall  have  more  than  two  hundred. 


AFTER    THE    CORRECTIONS    HAVE    BEEN    MADE 

165 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

Keep   Your  Desk  in  Good  Order 

A  workman  is  usually  marked  by  the  condition  in  which 
he  keeps  his  working  place.  If  his  tools  are  slovenly 
arranged  and  scattered  about,  if  bis  work  bench  is  in 
disorder,  it  shows  that  he  is  not  orderly,  neat,  and  efficient. 
The  good  workman  is  neat — and  he  is  efficient  partly 
because  he  can  lay  his  hands  on  the  necessary  tool  imme- 
diately. So  with  you.  Your  desk  is  your  work  bench. 
Don't  have  your  tools  (your  pencils,  erasers,  stationery, 
etc.)  all  jumbled  together  in  the  drawers.  Keep  every- 
thing neatly  arranged  in  its  proper  place  so  that  you  can 
find  it  when  you  are  in  a  hurry.  If  you  are  called  for 
dictation  don't  be  compelled  to  waste  time  looking  for 
your  notebook  and  pencils. 

And  keep  the  top  of  your  desk  clean,  too.  Don't 
have  odds  and  ends  of  papers,  pencils,  carbon  sheets, 
etc.,  scattered  over  it  while  you  are  working  there.  A 
clean  top  inspires  good  work.  Be  orderly  about  these 
things. 

When  you  leave  the  office  at  night,  be  sure  that  every- 
thing is  in  its  proper  place  in  the  drawers  of  your  desk, 
that  there  is  nothing  on  top  of  the  desk  that  doesn't  be- 
long there,  and  that  your  machine  is  protected  from  the 
dust  that  will  arise  when  the  office  is  being  cleaned  that 
night. 

Study  Your  Employer's  Business 

If  you  are  really  interested  in  your  work,  if  you 
are  ambitious  to  advance,  if  you  wish  to  make  a  larger 
salary,  study  your  employer's  business.  Try  to  learn 
as  much  as  you  can  about  the  way  the  business  is 
carried  on.  Go  to  the  library  and  draw  out  books 

166 


THE  STENOGRAPHER'S  MANUAL 

on  your  business,  for  the  more  you  know  about  the 
business  the  more  valuable  you  will  become.  Take  an 
interest  in  the  business  and  try  the  best  you  can  to 
help  the  employer.  Do  these  things  and  your  future 
is  assured. 


INDEX 


Abbreviations,  of  first  names,  53, 
107;  of  Avenue  and  Street,  56; 
of  Messieurs,  49;  incorrect 
forms,  in  salutation,  58;  in 
complimentary  close,  60;  not 
allowed  in  formal  official  letters, 
66;  use  of,  107-113;  punctua- 
tion of,  107;  plurals  of,  107; 
list  of,  108-112 

Accuracy,  value  of,  5;  questions 
about,  7;  in  taking  dictation, 
28;  in  transcription,  33;  in 
spelling,  71-73;  after  work,  113 

Address,  inside,  48-56  (also  see 
Inside  Address);  on  envelope,  63 

Agreeable  personality,  value  of,  9; 
questions  about,  11 

Apostrophe,  uses  of,  151—153 

Appearance,  personal,  23;  of  work, 
37 

Attendance,  20 

Attention  of,  position  of  in  letter, 
62;  on  envelope,  64 

Attitude  toward  your  work,  22 

B 

Body  of  the  letter,  58-60;  placing 
on  page,  43;  indention,  58; 
spacing,  58;  second  sheet,  58,  60 

Brackets,  uses  of,  148 


Capitalization,    of    abbreviations, 
107;   uses  of,  156-159 


Care  of  machine,  39;  of  notebooks, 
40 

Changes  and  erasures,  37 

City,  incorrect  use  of  in  address,  56 

Colon,  uses  of,  142-144 

Comma,  uses  of,  134-141 

Complimentary  close,  60;  position 
of,  60;  forms  of,  60;  incorrect 
abbreviations,  60;  punctuation 
of,  60;  in  official  letters,  60,  66 

Compounding  words,  103-106; 
compound  titles,  106 

Conduct  in  the  office,  17;  office 
rules,  17;  punctuality,  19;  at- 
tendance, 20;  using  telephone, 
21;  "visiting,"  21;  attitude 
toward  work,  22;  conduct  to- 
ward other  workers,  23;  per- 
sonal appearance,  23 

Contractions,  spelling  of,  107,  151, 
152;  punctuation  of,  107 

Courtesy,  9 

D 

Dash,  uses  of,  146-147 

Date  of  letter,  46;  position  of,  46; 
points  about  writing  date,  47 

Days,  abbreviations  of,  112 

Deportment  in  the  office,  16 

Desk,  good  order  of,  166 

Dictated  material,  editing  of,  35; 
163-165 

Dictation,  importance  of,  25;  be 
prepared,  25 ;  manner  when  tak- 
ing, 27;  points  on,  28;  noting 
instructions,  30 


169 


INDEX 


Diligence,  value  of,  13;   questions 

about,  15 

Disputing  with  dictator,  40 
Dividing  words  at  ends  of  lines, 

100-103 

E 

Editing  dictated  material,  35, 
163-165 

End.,  position  of,  62 

Envelope,  size  of,  63;  address  on, 
63;  other  matter  on,  64;  illus- 
trations of,  65 

Erasures  and  changes,  37 

Esq.,  use  of,  49 

Exclamation  point,  uses  of,  145- 
146 


Figures,  sums,  etc.,  spelling  of,  95- 

96 

Folding  letter,  62-63 
Foreign   words   used   in   English, 

78-81 
Formal  official  letters,  66 

G 

Grammar,  need  of,  34 

H 

Heading  of  letter,  46-47 
Honorable,  proper  use  of  as  title,  55 
Hyphen,    used    in    compounding 
words,  103-106;  uses  of,  153-155 
Hyphenated  words,  103-106 


IncL,  position  of,  62 
Indenting  paragraphs,  58 
Informal  official  letters,  66;   illus- 
tration of,  67 
Initials  of  typist,  61 
Inside  address,  48-56;  position  of. 


48;  arrangement  of,  48;  titles 
in,  4s  .)(>;  abbreviation  of  first 
names,  53;  punctuation  of,  56; 
use  of  City,  56;  position  of  in 
official  letters,  66 


Judgment,  value  of,  15 


Letter,  mechanical  make-up  of, 
42-70  (see  Mechanical  Make- 
up for  specific  references) 

M 

Machine,  care  of,  39 

Manners,  10 

Margins,  43,  58;   of  report,  70 

Mechanical  display  of  reports,  66- 
70;  illustrations  of,  68,  <i!t; 
points  about,  70 

Mechanical  make-up  of  letter,  41J 
70;  placing  letter  on  page,  4,'i; 
parts  of,  46;  heading,  46-47; 
inside  address,  48-56;  titles,  48- 
55;  the  salutation,  57-58;  the 
body  of  the  letter,  58-60;  the 
complimentary  close,  60;  the 
signature,  60;  miscellaneous 
points,  62-63;  envelope,  63-04; 
official  letters,  64-66;  mechani- 
cal display  of  reports,  66-70 

Messrs.,  proper  use  of  as  title,  49 

Miss,  as  title,  48 

Misspelling  (see  Spelling) 

Misused  words,  114-132 

Months,  abbreviations  of,  112 

Mrs.,  as  title,  48 

N 

Names  that  sound  alike,  29;  get- 
ting them  correct,  29,  157,  note  2 


170 


INDEX 


Necessity  for  self-analysis,  6 

Notebooks,  care  of,  40 

Numbers,   spelling  of   plurals   of, 

95-96;    when  and  when  not  to 

spell  out,  96-100 

O 

Office  rules,  17 

Office  supplies,  40 

Official  letters,  64-66;  when  used, 
64;  stationery  of,  64;  formal, 
66;  mechanical  make-up  of,  6(5; 
informal,  1)6;  illustration  of,  67 


Paragraphs,  indention  of,  58 

Parentheses,  uses  of,  147-148 

Parenthetical  material,  punctua- 
tion of,  150—151 

Period,  uses  of,  144-145;  with  ab- 
breviations, 107 

Personal  appearance,  23 

Personality,  value  of,  9;  questions 
about,  11 

Placing  letter  on  page,  43 

Plurals  of  foreign  words,  spelling 
of,  81-82;  of  figures,  sums,  etc., 
95-96;  of  abbreviations,  107 

Possessives,  spelling  of,  94—95 

Postscript,  position  of,  62 

Professor,  proper  use  of  as  title,  55 

Proof  marks,  163-165;  list  of,  164- 
165;  illustrations  of  use,  165 

P.S.,  not  needed,  62 

Punctuality,  19 

Punctuation,  of  inside  address,  56; 
of  salutation,  58;  of  compli- 
mentary close,  60;  of  contrac- 
tions, 107;  uses  of  punctuation, 
133-156;  comma,  134-141;  of 
restrictive  clause,  139;  semi- 
colon, 141-142;  colon,  142-144; 
period,  144-145;  exclamation 
point,  145-146;  dash,  146-147; 


parentheses,  147-148;  brackets, 
148;  quotation  marks,  148-150; 
quoted  or  parenthetical  mate- 
rial, 150-151;  apostrophe,  151- 
153;  question  mark,  153;  hy- 
phen, 153-155;  other  punctua- 
tion, 155;  good  style,  155-156 


Qualities  of  a  good  stenographer, 

1,  5 

Question  mark,  uses  of,  153 
Quotation  marks,  uses  of,  148-150 
Quoted  material,  punctuation  of, 

150-151 


R 

Reports,  display  of,  66-70 
Restrictive  clause,  punctuation  of, 

139 

Reverend,  proper  use  of  as  title,  55 
Rules,  office,  17 


Salutation,  57-58;    forms   of,  57; 
position  of,  57;  incorrect  forms, 
57-58;    punctuation   of,  58;    in 
official  letters,  58,  66;   in  infor- 
mal official  letters,  66 
Second  sheets,  58,  60 
Self-analysis,  necessity  for,  6 
Semicolon,  uses  of,  141-142 
Signature,  60-62;  titles  in,  66 
Spacing  between  paragraphs,  58 
Spelling,  71-113;    importance  of, 
71;   technical  and  trade  words, 
73;    words  correctly  spelled  in 
two  or  more  ways,  73-78;   for- 
eign words,  78-81;    plurals  of, 
81-82;   words  of  similar  sound, 
82-88;     words   commonly    mis- 
spelled, 89-92;   words  ending  in 
"able"  or  "ible,"  92-93;    pos- 


171 


INDEX 


ives,  94-95;  plural  of  fig- 
ures, etc.,  95-96;  spelling  out 
numbers,  etc.,  96-100;  dividing 
words,  100-103;  compound  or 
hyphenated  words,  103-106; 
use  of  abbreviations,  107-113 
States,  abbreviations  of,  111,  112 


Taking  dictation,  25;  preparation 
for,  25;  manner  when,  27; 
points  on,  28;  noting  instruc- 
tions, 30 

Telegrams,  103 

Telephone  for  personal  calls,  use 
of,  21 

Telephoning,  points  about,  160-162 

Titles  in  address,  48-56;  position 
of,  48;  common,  48;  Mrs.  and 
Miss,  48-49;  Esq.,  49;  Messrs., 
49;  with  corporations,  49,  52; 
business  titles,  52;  initials,  52; 
proper  use  of,  53-55;  position 
of  in  official  letter,  56,  66;  com- 
pound titles,  106 

Transcribing     and     typing,     32; 


judged  by,  32;  accuracy  in,  33; 
mistakes  in  grammar,  34;  edit- 
ing dictated  material,  3.5;  para- 
graphing letter,  36;  punctua- 
tion and  capitalization,  36; 
reading  completed  work,  37; 
appearance  of  work,  37;  era- 
sures and  changes,  37;  keeping 
machine  in  good  order,  39; 
don't  dispute  with  dictator,  40; 
care  of  notebooks,  40;  office 
supplies,  40 

Trustworthiness,     value     of,      1  J; 
questions  about,   13 

Typing  and  transcribing,  :; : 
Transcribing  and  Typing) 


Value  of  accuracy,  5 
"Visiting"  in  the  office,  21 

W 

Words,    spelled    in    two   or    more 
ways,  73-78;    misused,  114-132 
Words,  spelling  of  (see  Spelling) 


TIIE    END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

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